


I Art Thou

by RobertHawkinz



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 09:32:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8244503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobertHawkinz/pseuds/RobertHawkinz
Summary: Persona 3 and 4 come to clash when remnants of the past come to haunt Inaba at a time where our protagonist (a fill in for Narukami) struggles with making friends, discovering himself, and not dying in the slowly increasingly dangerous situations he finds himself in...





	1. April 10th, 2011

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this here because of reasons.

April 10th, 2011

Packing up is always the worst. No matter how many times I am subjected to it, it's always the most annoying task about moving. Except for two things. My parents. I used to hate them, resent them for my tumutuous life But now it's become more of a sad acceptance. Constantly being forced to move, never having friends, not wanting to unpack because I know it won't last. They don't even pretend like we're not going to move again. The house is only filled with my items and the things they leave unpacked and strewn about carelessly. My name is Robert Hawke, and I'm not stupid.

They blame me for insisting to live where my ancestors did. Japan is a beautiful place, but they have no respect for that. Changing their names, becoming American citizen, all of it is just so selfish of them. I know my grandfather wasn't a good man, but to shun your entire homeland because of it? And trying to force your child to, as well? Screw that.

After several years of pleading and arguing, they let me come to Japan for schooling. Naturally, I was behind. Even more so, everyone had drawn up expectations of this Western-raised boy. Instead, they got a socially awkward and quiet individual who spends all of his time reading manga, studying diligently, and who isolated himself due to his lack of social skills. I knew to stay in my lane, keep my head down. So my novelty would usually fade within a few weeks of school.

The rebellion against my parents began just three years ago. My silver hair, my awkward haircut, and my disdain for Western culture at times. Every time they visited, I'm sure they could understand my deep-seated dissonance towards them. I have no friends, no social skills, no family, and no one to care for. My grandfather died not long ago, and he left all of his money with me, urging me in his will to not live under the thumb of my controlling parents. For the normal kid, they would take offense to this. I, personally, was delighted to hear it. At this turning point, my parents may have had a change of heart. Maybe they finally got it. They said I could attend a small school outside of Kyoto, and they would live with me for once. For my first year in high school, we had finally been reunited as a family. I finally had hope that I would be their son. They were truly impressed by my academics, and they ensured that I could finally make a few decent friends. Naturally, I wasn't popular, but many people saw me as the level-headed negotiator. I was a member of the student council, and that year we made record improvements in test scores, attendance, and conflict resolution. I place the results firmly on the back of our excellent president, but it was nice to help out and participate in meaningful discussions. My parents finally came to understand the culture I valued so much, and for once, we were together.

That all changed when the capitalist nation called. Of course, their jobs were always very demanding and intrusive. Even they were caught unaware by the transfer. After a whole year of stable work, they get dragged off, all the way to some office in Virginia. They asked if I wanted to attend school there, and they weren't surprised when I politely declined. So tomorrow, I ride a train into Yasoinaba station. Inaba City, where I will stay for my entire Junior Year. City is a little kind, however. The location is relatively unexciting and isolated. Nevertheless, I get to live with my uncle, Dojima. I have no idea how fond he is of his sister, my mother, but I suppose well enough that I'm moving in with him. I have heard he has a daughter, and his wife died not too many years ago. Hopefully, we'll be able to act like family to each other. I don't expect them to warm up to me.

I threw the last of my manga into a cardboard box that I'd used so many times before. Do I sound bitter? Probably. I tend to when I talk to myself. As I close the cardboard box, I walk down the unlit corridor to my bedroom. As I reach the mirror, I turn on the light. My hair, silver as it was when my parents moved in with me. My grandfather always watched over me here, and he thought it looked sporting. Gradually, he got older and sicker, and I got sadder and more independent. After he died, my parents came to live with me, and I had high hopes. Alas, they were dashed once more. My blue gray eyes looked dull, and it was clear to me I needed sleep. I was about six feet, and very slim. Not to say I was non athletic. I had been on the basketball team at my last school, and though I wasn't the best player, I had practiced religiously. I turned off the light as I entered my room and silently closed the door behind me. As I turned on my bedroom light, I noticed the locket on my wardrobe.

On the back, the name “Narukami” shined. My grandfather said it was a family heirloom, and the first thing my father had forsaken when he moved from Japan. Dad said it was too much a mouthful. Changed his last name to Hawke, and better yet, misspelled it. My mother never said why she disliked our home country so much, but I never bothered to ask. Maybe Ryotaro, my uncle, knew. Should I really ask him, though? Maybe not.

I grazed the locket with my open hand before setting it back down. I looked down at my plain gray shirt and white pajama pants. I shrugged and moved my covers before lying down on my bed. Last night for a bed. Dojima only had a futon for me. Not that I mean to complain, but it would certainly be different than what I was accustomed to.

As I fell asleep, I thought about what my new school would be like, and if I could make any friends. Better yet, could I be able to stay in contact with them?

The weirdest thing I've ever heard in my sleep before was someone yelling Penis. Now, it was the sound of a car starting up in the middle of nowhere. Rather, the noise came from around me, as if I was inside it. The jerking was what woke me up. As I opened my eyes and sat up, I noticed that I'm sitting on a velvet seat, like in the back of a limousine. Not that I'd ever seen one before. It wasn't for another moment that I noticed other people in the limousine with me. The entire interior was blue, and even the clothes of one of my fellow occupants wore only blue, velvet clothes. The other occupant horrified me as I looked upon him. He had an abnormally long nose, and he wore a fancy tuxedo. He had weird and oddly shaped eyebrows, and his head rested on his right hand, his left hand supporting his right. He was staring at the table in front of him, a small blue table that was circular except for cloth that came over in my direction, and upon further inspection, I realized the cloth hung over four sides of the table.

I turned to study the woman in blue more closely. She wore blue high heels which seemed very uncomfortable to walk in. Then again, I'm a dude, so what would I know, right? Her blue velvet coat covered her all the way down to her knees, and I couldn't determine if she was wearing leggings or stockings or if it was part of her outfit by some other manner. She held a large, black book in her lap, with both of her hands clasping it tightly. Her coat had three rings with gold fabric lining the inside, and her eyes were also as gold as the fabric, shocking me. I opened my mouth to say something, but the quiet man with the long nose beat me to the punch.

“Welcome, to the Velvet Room,” The man said in a calm voice. As he opened his eyes, I was startled. His eyes had one small, black pupil, and the veins near the edges of his eyes bulged red, causing me to feel a little sick to my stomach.

“The Velvet Room? How can this be a room? Aren't we in a car!?” I exclaimed, confused.

“Ah... It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny...” The man followed this with a chuckle, ignoring my statement entirely, “My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”

I look around nervously before responding, “Hi, Igor. Glad you introduced yourself. Now, would you kindly explain where I am?”

Igor obliged, in his own way, “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It is a room that only those bound by a contract may enter... It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future,” As he said this, I felt a massive chill run down my spine, “Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself...?”

He motioned for me to speak, so I did, “Hawke. Robert Hawke. My parents didn't name me nor have me in Japan. It was I who requested to return.”

Igor nodded in understanding, “Hm... I see. Now, let's take a look at your future, shall we?”

“How can you do that? Are you some kind of prophet?” Igor chuckled at my question before he waved his hand above the table in front of him. A stack of mysterious looking cards appeared on the table.

“Do you believe in fortunetelling?” Igor asked, expectantly. Before I could answer, he waved his hand and the cards separated themselves onto the table. How in the hell!? He chuckled, probably noticing my reaction, “Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different,” He chuckled once more, “Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?”

The cards themselves were blue, like the room, with a mysterious face on the back. Igor motioned for the card on the far right, and it flipped over. On the front looked like some kind of Tower, getting hit by lightning.

“Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent,” Igor said matter-of-factually, worrying me further, “The card indicating the future beyond that is...” With the same motion, the second card, the one on the far left flipped over, revealing a crescent moon. I noticed the woman in blue, sitting quietly, not surprised at all by Igor's abilities.

“The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery... Very interesting, indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which, you will return here. The coming year is a turning point of your destiny... If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.” As he spoke those cryptic words, the back of my brain started screaming for me to get the hell away from him, from this room. The problem thus became how to exit.

“My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that doers not happen,” Igor continued, referring to me as a guest. He waved his hand and all the cards faded into nothingness, “Ah! I have yet to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself.”

She acknowledged me for once, “My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey.”

Igor spoke once more, “We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell...”  
The room faded out, and the dream ended, with me just as confused as it had started.


	2. April 11th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On his first day in Inaba, Hawke meets an unfriendly standoffish girl, his uncle Dojima, and Nanako. If only he knew what lay before him...

April 11th, 2011

The first thing I remember was falling out of bed and landing on my face. Disgruntled and tired, I got dressed, and gathered my things. As I exited the empty house, I thought of the past year and sighed to myself.

Nothing interesting happened as I made my way to the local train station. The house was about twelve blocks away, and the noise used to keep me up at night. Couple that with insomnia, and by morning I was a cranky S.O.B. Nevertheless, it didn't stop me from having a good time.

I arrived to the station, bought my ticket, and boarded with relative ease. I was to transfer to another line before I could get on the train that went to Yasoinaba Station. The first train ride went by quick, and soon I noticed it was almost noon. I was standing near the edge of the tracks, surrounded by loud and noisy people all awaiting the same train. The Yasoinaba train was running late, and naturally, I was bored out of my mind. Wish I had my Vita unpacked right now. The only thing keeping me from complete despair over boredom was the large screen television in the station.

Eventually, an announcer said words that were music to my ears, “Yasoinaba is arriving at the station. Those inbound to Inaba and Okina, please board the next train.”

I looked up and noticed someone I had seen before. Not at the station, but on television. Risette. Wearing some new line of bikini, she was in a commercial for some dieting drink called Quelorie Magik or something like that. Why bother paying attention to the drink when you had an idol in a bikini? Risette was talented and good-looking, but she always seemed so pepped up. Wonder if she's actually like that or if they just sell her as such? Eh, does it matter? I won't have the courtesy of meeting her.

Around me, people were talking about some scandal with a political man named Taro Namatame. Apparently cheated on his wife, that weird Enka singer, Misuzu Hiiragi. Mayumi Yamano, some announcer for a local station, won his heart or some crap like that. Why must the media invade people's personal lives such as this? Don't people have anything better to do than gossip? Sometimes Japan feels like America.

As the train arrived, I quickly got on board and found a lonesome seat. I set my bag down in the seat next to mine so I could remain alone. The train ride was uneventful, and as the ride came closer and closer to my stop, I noticed that it was further out into the country than I thought. This didn't worry me initially, until I worried about what the student body might be like. Would the school reach my standards? Could I even fit in? Oh, crap...

Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through my forehead, and as I knelt over in my seat to grasp my throbbing head, visions of a woman that was somehow familiar to me in some kind of altercation flashed through my mind. Obviously, I shook it off, but for a second time, pain gripped all of my senses. The woman was trying to push someone away, and she was falling back. Just as I felt I could guess who she was, the pain abruptly stopped, and I sat, dazed and confused.

“Thou art I?” I spoke, not even realizing what I said, “Thou art shit! What was that!?”

Maybe I had developed a temporary case of schizophrenia. Maybe the stress was making me insane, or I was already insane to begin with. In the end, I decided it must be Igor's fault and left it at that. Was Igor even real? That was a dream, right? That's what I told myself, at least. I looked down at my bag and shrugged the visions off. What would a normal kid do? I slid open the zipper on my bag and pulled out the original Hellsing manga. Back to more important matters... As I read, I thought about when my teacher announced that I was leaving at the end of March for the year. A few people sounded disappointed, and a few more were outright shocked and saddened. Hopefully, I'd see them again. Worrying now wouldn't help anything, though. I checked my back pocket for the paper I had written Uncle Dojima's address on, and I got back to my reading.

Eventually, the train pulled up at the station. My watch said 4:30. It had been late half an hour. Luckily, I hadn't inconvenienced my uncle Dojima too much. I quickly gathered my things and walked outside at a quick pace, hoping to see Dojima was still waiting for me. As I looked around on the front step, I didn't initially see him, but then I heard a voice.

“Hey! Over here!” A grown man with a somewhat gruff voice spoke, and I looked over to two people standing next to the end of the steps. I face palmed in my own mind at my own stupidity for not instantly seeing them. Then I remembered I hadn't seen Ryotaro since I was three, and I had never met Nanako.

Ah, Ryotaro Dojima. He had short, black hair like my dad sported, and beard fuzz all across his chin. He had lines under his eyes, and it clearly seemed he had been working late last night. He wore a plain, gray shirt and a red tie. His brown jeans looked heavily worn, and even the belt had holes in it from repeated usage. Didn't he ever go clothes shopping? Not without his wife, I thought bitterly to myself.

The little girl standing next to him must have been Nanako Dojima. She wore pink sneakers and gray socks, a brown skirt with a blouse that was two shades of pink, or red, whatever. Her brown hair was relatively short, and she was looking at the ground, obviously avoiding eye contact.

I extended my hand, and Dojima shook it, “Well, you're more handsome in person than in your photo. Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see...I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up.”

“It's been a long time since I've last seen you. I barely remember you except that you like drinking coffee,” I responded.

Dojima chuckled, “I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers...” He motioned for Nanako to step forward, and she did so reluctantly, “This here's my daughter. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin.”

Nanako continued looking at the ground, very tense, and I noticed the ends of her hair bent back with ribbons. Eventually, she spoke, “'lo.”

She blushed and ran behind Dojima, who laughed, “What're you so shy for?” Nanako playfully hit him on the backside, and I stifled a laugh in my throat, “Ow, hahaha!” Dojima laughed once more, before turning back to me.

“Well, then... Let's get going. My car's over there.” Dojima motioned towards his vehicle, which looked like a Subaru minivan or something of the sort.

Dojima and Nanako walked ahead to the car. And I started to follow. Before I got ten feet, I heard a young woman's voice, “...Hey.”

I turned to see an unfriendly-looking girl. She wore a white, buttoned up shirt, and a black tie hung from her neck in the oddest way. Her eyes looked dark green, and her light black hair didn't reach her shoulders. She had a studded leather belt on, yet she was wearing a short red skirt, which confused me further. She had striped zebra stockings. Noticing I was looking her over, she presented a piece of paper, “You dropped this.”

“Thank you.” I replied, and as I walked up she handed it to me. Up close, I could tell she was really beautiful, although she seemed confused for some reason.

“Whatever. All I did was pick it up,” She said, with a cool, distant voice.

I noticed she had handed me the note I made about Dojima's address, “No, really. Thanks. I need this,” She was quiet, and I added, “Are you alright?” She walked off, not saying a word, and before I could pursue the conversation, I heard a very familiar voice.

“What's wrong?” Dojima asked, and as he did I turned and headed towards the car. Dojima turned the car on and drove us through the larger part of town. We passed some market called Junes, and eventually came up on the central shopping district. On the way, Dojima pointed out some local shops before driving up to a Moel Gas station.

As we drove up, I noticed a green delivery truck drive away. Dojima parked the car and a gas station attendant ran around from where the truck had been, “Hi! Welcome to Moel!”

Dojima turned to Nanako, who had asked to use the bathroom on the way home, “Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?”

“Uh-huh,” Nanako replied quietly, and I noticed for the first time how mature she seemed to be.

Nanako and Dojima both exited the vehicle as I sat in the backseat. The attendant turned to Nanako after greeting Dojima, “It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in.”

Nanako indignantly replied, “I know... Geez...” She ran off to the bathroom, and I snickered at how she hated to be underestimated so casually. Note to self: Take Nanako seriously.

The attendant turned to Dojima, “Are you taking a trip?”

“No, we just went to pick him up. He just moved here from the big city,” Dojima said, as I stepped out of the back seat.

“The city, huh...?” The attendant eyed me, and I noticed she was a beautiful older woman, maybe thirty or older.

“Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine,” Dojima added.

“Right away, sir!” The attendant said cheerfully.

“Good a time as any for a smoke...” Dojima said, mostly to himself, before walking to the right of the gas station.

“Are you in high school?” The attendant finally turned her attention on me, “Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now,” The attendant walked out and extended a hand, and I shook her hand, “Give it some thought, why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student.”

“Uh, sure, ma'am,” I replied, quietly.

“Oh, I should get back to work,” The attendant ran to go fill up Dojima's vehicle.

I noticed Nanako was looking at me when an intense pain in my head struck, similar to the one from before.

“...Are you okay?” Nanako asked, looking at me with a concerned face, “Did you get carsick? You don't look too good.”

I noticed her concern, “I don't know, I've been having strange headaches all day today,” Now I was feeling openly dizzy, and it annoyed me. I hated being sick.

Dojima walked back, a dying cigarette in his mouth. Did I mention I hated smoking? A horrible habit. Dojima drank, too, according to my mom, but he wasn't an addict for either. At least, I hoped. He was the only member of our family to still care about us, “What's wrong? You okay?”

“I've been feeling lightheaded all day. I don't know why,” I replied, my voice higher than before.

“That's understandable. It's been a long trip for you,” I nodded in agreement, “Why not take a little walk, get some fresh air? Just let me know when you are ready to go. You can check out the shopping district a bit,” Dojima motioned towards the neighboring stores, and I nodded in understanding.

I walked down the road to the very first shop and noticed it was a small book store. A sign said that three new books were due to be released on April 20th. The first was “The Lovely Man”, a book in the famous Man series that had spread like wildfire last year. The other two seemed rather boring; Expert Study Methods and Beginner Fishing.

As I walked past, I was greeted by an old woman, “Hm... You have something to do in the shopping district?”

I nodded, “I just moved here to be with my uncle. He suggested I take a quick walk and familiarize myself here.”

She nods, “It's a bit run down, but we have everything here. It used to be a lot more prosperous back in the day, but we only see regulars nowadays. If only Junes hadn't come to town... It's convenient, but it's a little sad.”

Ah, Junes. A middle class family's Walmart. Junes had been a smaller start up in Eastern China, in the bay cities, back in the late seventies. Within fifteen years, it dominated Asian markets, and now they were expanding heavily into Europe and America. Due to their convenience and their exciting line-up of both foreign and local goods, Junes was dominating. Then, a couple years back, Junes faced legal issues due to the way staff was treated. Junes was on the defensive now, trying to win back its consumers. Stocks fell rapidly, and now there were only a hundred outside of Asia. Despite these setbacks, Junes was revolutionizing business in third world countries, bringing convenience and eventually, establishing unions. Many of the higher-ups donated regularly to bring small villages and cities into shape in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and poorer European countries. Thanks to their generous nature, Junes regained its losses and had seized a permanent place in foreign trade. Naturally, their efforts were only bolstered even further when the Kirijo Group invested.

Man, the Kirijo Group. Talk about conspiracy. They had their hands on everything into and outside of Japan, and it was disgusting. Ever since the death of Takeharu, the newest head of Kirijo had tripled their efforts at controlling the masses. For some reason, people suddenly forgave them for the tragedies that had occurred twelve years ago. What fools.

Next to the bookstore was what looked like an armory, although the man at the counter was frightening in appearance, so I didn't enter. The name read Daidara Metalworks. As I turned around, I noticed the unfriendly-looking girl I had run into at the station. I walked over, “Hey, remember me?”

“Hm...? Have we met before?” She replied, staring off into space.

“I met you about a half an hour ago. What were you doing at the station?” I asked, wondering how she got here before my uncle.

“The station...? Oh, that one time,” She seemed so confused, “...Nothing. I just went. …I don't have anywhere to go,” She fell silent, and I got the social cue to leave her be.

Further down the road was a store called Marukyu Tofu. Outside the store, I noticed two people in school uniforms, like mine.

The boy of the two was shorter than the other person. He had gray eyes and light brown hair, slicked-back with what appeared to be a little too much hair gel for my tastes. He wore the standard uniform, except he had a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath it. Next to him stood a taller girl with the same brown hair, although much longer and curlier towards the ends. Her gray eyes looked bored, if not somewhat sad. It became evident they were siblings by how closely they resembled each other.

I stepped closer, and I began to hear their argument, “Hey, do you know where my snack went? I had the cream puffs in the fridge, but they're gone...” The boy spoke, with a quiet, somewhat mature voice.

“Oh, I ate it just now. I thought it was leftovers,” She said nonchalantly, as if she didn't even care. What I noted was how annoying her damn voice was.

“What!? No, it wasn't leftovers! I was making sure to save it for later!” The boy yelled, some sweat rolling down his cheek.

“Oh, really? Sorry 'bout that,” She replied, with such an I don't give a damn attitude, “Well, I'm going to work. See ya.”

“What!? I was really looking forward to eating it...” The boy replied, before looking at the ground as the girl ran off, “Stupid Junes and their stupid overcharging for things.”

The last store on the block, labeled the Shiroku Store, was closed for today. I noticed there were more stores down the road, but I turned back, deciding to explore them in more depth tomorrow, or sometime this week.

Eventually, I got back to the car, where Dojima greeted me, “How're you feeling? Ready to get back in the car?”

“I'm ready,” I nodded, somewhat more tired than before.

“All right, let's hit the road then,” He replied, and we all got back into the vehicle.

As he pulled into the driveway next to what I assumed was his house, I got my first look at the Dojima residence. The two-story building had brown wood outsides, with dark green tilings. There were two kinds of windows, and the front door was a lockable sliding door that seemed relatively new compared to the outside of the house. There was an old scooter next to the right half of the fence and the small red mailbox was on the left side of the fence. I stepped inside, taking my shoes off on the tile floor in the kitchen and setting them aside with the other shoes. As my feet hit the soft, brown carpeting in the rest of the bottom floor, I noticed the stairs to my right. The kitchen was small, with a stove and a refrigerator, and a counter across from both for gathering and cooking. The dining room table was wooden, with four chairs, one on each side. Atop was a fruit bowl, today's newspaper, and a coffee mug.

I sat down at the small table in the living room, a low, wooden table. I watched a weather report on the television that Nanako had already turned on until Dojima got settled. Before us, we had small, microwaveable sushi plates he had bought as sort of a celebration. On the table, he had a jug of orange juice, two bottles of Quelorie Magik, and the remote, which Nanako moved to her side of the table.

Dojima motioned for her to turn the television off, and she obliged, “All right, let's have a toast,” Dojima guzzled a can of fruit juice while Nanako drank orange juice from a glass. I downed an entire plastic bottle of Quelorie Magik, a tangy grape flavor, “So... Your mom and dad are busy as always... They're working overseas, was it?”

“Somewhere in Virginia. Stuck in some hot room doing paperwork for the next eleven months,” I replied.

“Virgin-yuh?” Nanako asked, confused.

“A state on the eastern coast of the United States. On the Atlantic Ocean's coast,” I said, explaining further.

“I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents... It's rough being a kid.”

“Not really. I told them I'd go anywhere to stay in Japan. When you offered, I knew I'd have some fun with family for once,” I said, slightly bitterly.

“Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home,” Dojima said, smiling for once.

“Thank you for your kindness,” I responded, not knowing what Dojima expected of me.

“C'mon, there's no need to be so formal,” He replied, chuckling, “Look, you're making Nanako all tense.”

Nanako, surprised by this comment, looked down at her food, “Well, anyway, let's eat,” Dojima motioned for us to eat.

Just as we picked up our chopsticks, a phone rang. “Ugh... Who's calling at this hour?” Dojima asked, sounding exasperated, and he pulled his phone out of his right back pocket, “Dojima speaking...”

Quickly, he stood up and walked away, “Yeah? I see...Where is it? All right, I'm on my way... Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze...” He turned to us, “Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me,” Nanako stood up, “I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?”

Nanako nodded, “Okay...” She said, sounding tired and a little sad.

Dojima made his way out of the house, and as he locked the front door after sliding it open, he called to us,”Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?” Nanako did the laundry?

“I already brought it in!” She said, sounding accomplished.

“...All right. Well, I'm off!” He said, walking to his car and sliding the door closed. Nanako sat as his car drove off, and she turned on the television.

“-for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather,” As the weather announcer came back on, I wondered why anyone would need an hourly breakdown. Is the news around here this boring?

“With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas,” She announced.

“Except the mountains, right? Crap, why does the first day of school here have to be rainy? Hate when the back of my neck gets soaked. Stupid uniforms...” I complained.

“...Let's eat,” Nanako said, turning my attention to our food, growing ever colder.

As Nanako began eating, my curiosity overcame me, “Nanako, what does your dad do for work?”

“He...investigates stuff. Like, crime scenes. My dad's a detective,” She said calmly.

“And now for the local news,” another announcer interrupted our conversation, “City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female announcer. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages.”

Typical. In it for the money. Everyone knew Misuzu never spent time with Namatame, so the fact that he fell in love with someone else wasn't surprising. Ever since her first hit, the only thing that mattered was her career. Selfish in my own opinion.

“In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she will remain off the air and out of the public eye,” the announcer continued.

“Please? The media is going to hound her like there's no tomorrow. She will still be splattered all over television. Just not the way she intended,” I said.

“...This is boring,” Nanako said, and I nodded in agreement. She quickly changed the channel right into a Junes commercial.

“At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products!”

“Every day's great at your Junes!” Next came the catchy jingle that always follows their uninspired commercials.

“Every day's great at your Junes!” Nanako sang, remarkably better than the woman in the commercial. She turned to me, “...Aren't you going to eat?”

I began eating, and as we finished the meal, I offered to clean up so Nanako could enjoy her shows. She turned the television to a quiz show. I noticed the sliding closet behind the television as I washed the dishes, and I eventually went upstairs to my room.

I entered the dark room and felt something hit my face. I pulled the cord, and the square light came on. I noticed the two boxes next to the empty shelf that was already in the room. There was a blackish-brown sofa for reading and napping with three unopened boxes in front of it. There was a small, wooden table for working. Next to the shelf was a wardrobe, with dresser drawers next to it. In between the wardrobe and the drawers was a small, black cupboard, the top of which lay a television. The remote was on the side of the drawers closest to the cupboard. A desk and chair was situated in the corner of the room on the other side of the sofa, with empty cupboards for textbooks and homework. Next to the desk was the futon, a teal color with a black and white striped pillow, reminding me of a zebra.

My black dress pants matched the rest of my uniform; my white button-up shirt left me cold, so the black, button-up jacket made me more comfortable, though I never had time to button it. My white and gray socks stared back at me, figuratively, of course. Before I could stop myself, I fell into a deep slumber,

Of course, life isn't that easy, so I woke up in some mysterious bullshit place. Hoping to see Igor or Margaret, I shuddered when I realized I had thought of being “hopeful” to see them. The floor was red and black, like tiles, and I saw no walls or ceiling. The blue air surrounded me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The fog was incredibly thick, and I couldn't see my own hands in front of my face.

Seeing nothing to do, I headed forwards into the fog. As fog began seeping onto the tiles and making them harder to see, I started sprinting. Even as the entire “road” turned to the left, I ran, fear coursing through me.

“Do you seek the truth...?” A mysterious voice called out to me. I stopped in my tracks, realizing it came from in front of me.

Running faster, the road curved to the right before going straight once more. Eventually, the voice returned, “If it's truth you desire, come and find me...”

I sped up, until I was greeted by a large, red and black door. Each line of red and black folded into the larger rings surrounding it as the door opened.

A sword faded into my grasp, and I held it tightly, confused. I swung the blade around, and though it cut through the fog with ease, more took its place.

I noticed a figure standing before me, and a feeling of dread washed over me. I stepped forward, blade in hand, ready to strike.

“So...You are the one pursuing me...” The person spoke, and it sounded like a mature, older woman, “Hmhmhm... Try all you like...”

Taking my blade, I swung forward, sending the blade across the figure's arms, who blocked their chest with them, “Hmmm... It seems that you can see a little, despite the fog...”

I struck again, if only to rebel against this person, who had brought me here. I stabbed the blade into what I assumed was their knee, and they faltered, “I see...Indeed... That is very interesting information...”

“Don't mock me!” I jumped and swung the blade overhead, ramming it into the skull of my opponent.

They merely laughed, “Someone sounds like a warrior prince. But... You will not catch me so easily... If what you seek is truth, then your search will be even harder...”

Suddenly, bewildering fog blocked my view. I began swinging all around me, desperate to strike my enemy.

“Everyone sees what they want to... And the fog only deepens...” I swung towards the voice, hitting nothing but air, “...Will we meet again...? At a place other than here... Hmhm... I look forward to it...”

Before I could make another witty retort, I fell unconscious, so the last words I spoke were, “You cheeky bastard....”


	3. April 12th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A body has been found! Now, after a certain amount of time has passed, the mystery will be deepened...

April 12th, 2011

Do you know what sucks? Waking up at six freaking A.M. I don't know how Nanako does it.

I quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, dreading school. I casually strolled into the living room, carrying my red backpack. Naturally, I'd leave it in my school locker. Who does homework at home anymore? Ha!

“Good morning,” Nanako said, and I noticed she had placed breakfast on the table. The smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs hit my nostrils like a bulldozer.

“Morning, Nanako,” I yawned, and as I sat down, the toast popped in up the toaster, a beautiful golden brown.

“Okay. Let's eat,” Nanako said cheerfully.

“Did you do the cooking?” I asked, wondering where Dojima was.

She nodded triumphantly, “I can toast bread... and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner,” She looked at her food, “You're starting school today, right?”

“I sure am, Nanako. Pretty nerve-wracking,” I said, noticeably shy.

Nanako decided to try and cheer me up, “My school's on the way, so... let's go together.”

“Really? That's great! Uh, I mean, if it makes you feel better,” Nanako rolled her eyes at me and stuck her tongue out, playfully.

After dropping Nanako off at her elementary school, I made my way to Yasogami High School. I reached the Samegawa Flood Plain. Named because it was in the flooding zone of the nearby Samegawa River, it was a pleasant walk on the way to school. I had no time to enjoy it, however, because the rain was an ungrateful bitch.

“You keep going straight from here!” Nanako had said, as she waved me down towards the floodplain. She had turned back around and headed to her school.

Eventually, I entered the heart of the school zone. Walking past some dumpsters, I heard a young man scream behind me, “Waaaaaaaagh!”

I turned to see someone riding a bike while trying to carry a grey umbrella, similar to mine. He eventually crashed into a power pole.

I walked up and looked him over. He had unkempt hair that looked fawn? His brown eyes closed as he gripped his groin, and I struggled not to laugh. He was wearing the typical school uniform, though it was now covered in some dirt from the crash. He also was sporting a pair of red headphones, wrapped around his neck.

“Ngh... Urrrrghhhh...” He said, clearly in pain. His yellow bike lay flat next to him, and his grey umbrella was now overturned on the ground. I simply walked past him, intent on leaving him be.

Before long, I made it to the front gates of Yasogami High School. The stone pillars were connected to the metal fencing that ran around the entirety of the school zone. The building was three floors, and it looked quite intimidating to me, as a first-timer.

In the hallways, I reached the faculty office, where I was greeted by the most infuriating teacher I've ever had the displeasure to acquaint myself with.

The man had a velvet lined suit, with a checkered orange and yellow tie. He had short black hair that hung lower by his cheeks, and he had unbelievably huge buck teeth.

“Hey, you! What are you doing in here!?” He yelled, almost accusingly.

“I...I'm the transfer student. I'm supposed to head into Classroom 2-2, but I was instructed to enter the office and meet my teacher first,” I said, trying not to urge him to further yell.

“Ah, there you are, you lousy brat! About damn time you got here, you cheeky dickwaffle!” Before I could retort, he ushered me out, “Hurry up, upstairs, we need to get to class! Your lollygagging made us late!”

He opened the door to Classroom 2-2 and strolled in, walking somewhat akin to a penguin. I followed suit, my right thumb in my pocket, unable to find the right words.

He turned to the class as I stood next to his desk, “Awright, shut your traps!” Everyone immediately quieted, showing me they knew this man quite well, “I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!”

He turned to me and grimaced. Turning to the class once more, he began a lecture, “First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like lovestruck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!” Everyone looked noticeably sicker after his announcement.

“Now I hate wasting time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student! This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him! Tell 'em your name kid, and make it quick,” He addressed me.

Unable to contain my rage, I took a step forward towards the class, “Nice to meet you all. My name is Robert Hawke, and I'd like to mention I chose to be here. Unlike my overpaid, annoying, loudmouthed ass of a teacher here with the beaver teeth and the bad haircut,” Everyone's eyes opened wide as I berated the teacher in his own class, “I'm a loser? I'm garbage? You don't know all about me, mate,” I added, smirking at the annoying bastard.

“Hrnh... That's it! You're on my shit list, effective immediately! You cocky brat! I'll be sure to show you your place here!” Morooka said, enraged, but I felt like he...enjoyed the challenge, “Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places... Talk to me like that again and you'll get a front row seat to the principal's office!”

“Do I also get a backstage pass? Or are you too cheap to spring for both?” Once again, the class seemed shocked by my response.

“Holy shit, he did not just do that!” A girl said, and I looked at her conversing to her friends. The whisperer was a short girl with pale skin, brown eyes, and navy blue hair, part of which was braided and adorned by a hair clip.

“Aika, quiet! Did I give you permission to talk!?” Kinshiro exclaimed.

“Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?” A girl raised her hand, speaking about the open desk to the left of her. The girl had light brown, bowl-shaped hair, and they matched her brown eyes. She wore a light-green high-collared athletic jacket, which covered her school uniform. She wore the customary mini skirt, but she had also added black leggings.

“Huh? Yeah, sure, you hear that! Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already, dumbass!” As Morooka berated me once more, I hurriedly sat down next to the girl, my first day being much more exciting than I had originally intended.

“He's the worst, huh?” The girl said as I sat next to her. Up close, I noticed that she was actually quite cute, “Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class... Well, we just have to hang in there for a year.”

“At least I'm stuck here with you,” I said, and noticing her reaction, I added, “With someone friendly, I mean.”

“Y-yeah, sure,” She replied, still blushing a little.

“Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here,” A quiet kid with rectangular glasses, short, brown hair, and the regular uniform on.

The girl next to him, Aika, replied, “Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side,” She added, “Then again, we're all in the same boat, aren't we, Takuro?”

The boy, Takuro, nodded in agreement.

“Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!”

This is going to be a long day, isn't it?

After the last bell rang, Morooka turned to us, “That's all for today! Normal lectures will start tomorrow.”

Bells rang, and the voice came on through the intercom, “Attention all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students are not to leave the school until further notice.”

“Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise. Or I'll find you.” He turned and left the classroom.

“He's seriously getting on my nerves...” A brown-haired girl was speaking with Aika, Takuro, and another boy, with longer, golden-brown hair.

“I know, right? Maki, we're gonna have a looong year ahead of us,” Takuro said, discouraged.

Sirens rang out, and three male students, one being the boy with Takuro, Takuro himself, and a red-headed male student I think was named Aki, ran to the window, “Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close?” Takuro said, excitedly.

“Ugh, I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog...” Aki responded, “What about you, Tatsuya?”

Tatsuya nodded, “Nothing,” He pressed his face up against the window.

“Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy,” Takuro said, now bored more so than before.

“Hey, did you hear? I hear that paparazzi’s looking all over for that announcer,” Aki added.

“Oh yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano, right?” Takuro said, slyly, “I heard some guys spotted her in shopping district.”

“Actually, I heard that some newbie police detective was talking to her. Apparently, she checked into the Amagi Inn not too long ago,” Aki replied.

“Are you serious?!” Takuro exclaimed.

Takuro quickly made his way over to the girl in front of my new friend's desk, “Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something?” He quickly asked, “Is it true that announcer's staying at your inn?”

“I can't discuss such things,” Yukiko replied, and as she did, I looked at her more carefully. Yukiko was actually stunningly beautiful, with long, straight, black hair, a red hairband, and gray eyes that currently seemed worried. Her outfit was covered by her red sweater, a dark bloody color that suited her outfit, and she wore black pantyhose under her skirt, like many other girls in class seemed to favor.

“Y-yeah, I guess not,” Takuro said, disheartened, “Bye, Yukiko.”

The girl I sat next to sighed loudly, “Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?”

Yukiko smiled, “There's no telling.”

“I shoulda left before the announcement came on... By the way, didja try what I told you the other day!?” She said, now excited.

Yukiko looked confused, “Chie, what do you mean? I think I forgot...”

“You know... That thing about rainy nights...” Chie explained.

“Oh... No, not yet. Sorry,” Yukiko apologized.

“Ahh, that's okay! It's just, I heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!' I was curious after that, but I fell asleep before I could try it myself!”

“Attention, all students,” The intercom's mechanical voice returned once more, “There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat...”

Well, shit. Can't call Dojima, I guess.

“Incident!?” Aika exclaimed.

“What, something actually happened?” Maki replied, somewhat uninterested.

“C'mon, let's go take a look!” Aika exclaimed, “I have to check by Aiya's anyways.”

The two girls headed outside.

I stood up to leave, but Yukiko and Chie ambushed me at my desk, almost immediately, “Hey, are you going home by yourself?” Chie inquired.

I nodded, “I guess so.”

“Why don't you come with us?” Chie said, smiling, “Oh, I nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?”

I chuckled, “Of course I do. I assume you got my name when I pissed off King Moron, right?”

Chie chuckled, “Yeah, that was pretty great. Well, nice to meet you!” She turned to her friend, “This is Yukiko Amagi.”

“Oh, nice to meet you... I'm sorry that this is so sudden...” Yukiko said, with a quiet, more mature voice.

“Not at all. I was very worried about fitting in here. I've never been one for making friends. Rather quiet and introverted, once you get to know me. Unless you tick me off! Then hell's wrath be unleashed upon thy unworthy souls!” I spoke, from the heart, before striking a battle pose.

“C'mon, don't apologize for that. It makes me look like I've got no upbringing,” Chie said, frantically, “I just wanted to ask some stuff, really. That's all.”

“Probe the transfer student's brain, huh? Sure, why not? I've got some interesting stories. Moved to America for a few years.”

As we began talking, the boy I saw hurt himself walked up, looking like the world was ending. His pale face got worse as he noticed we could see something in his hands, “Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka...? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see...” Chie looked confused.

The bleak-looking student held a DVD case towards Chie, bending over, head down in shame, “And... I'm really sorry! It was just an accident! Please, just have mercy until my next paycheck!” He exclaimed, frightened.

Chie took the case, and he stood up, “See ya, thanks!” He started walking away as quickly as he could.

“Stop right there! What did you do to my CD?” Chie ran after him, delivering a swift kick to his groin after opening the case, “Yosuke! What the!? I can't believe this! It's completely cracked...” She wailed in sadness and annoyance, “My Trial of the Dragon...!”

“I think mine's cracked, too,” Yosuke responded, “C-critical hit to the nads.” A wave of pain flowed over me as I felt his pain. Damn you, empathy. Damn you!

“A-are you alright?” Yukiko asked, actually concerned.

“Oh, Yukiko-san... Are you worried about me?” He said, grimacing, as he hopped in place.

“He's fine, Yukiko! Let's ditch him and go home,” Chie closed her CD case, put it in her backpack, and opened the sliding door. She and Yukiko left the room, and I hurried my way out of the door, leaving Yosuke to his ball pain.

Yukiko, Chie, and I reached the front gate, talking about King Moron, amongst other things, when a boy dressed as someone from another school walked towards us. He had short, messy, black hair, parted slightly in the middle. His complexion was cool and ashen, and his skin was slightly peachier than mine, He had some kind of ”beauty mark” under his left eye. He slouched as he walked slowly towards us, breathing heavily. His eyes drooped, and his expression was grim despite him trying to smile. His black school uniform was different, as it had a green and orange emblem on it, along with a green tie. What shocked me, scared me to my very core, was his pitch black eyes. The freak had no pupils. Talk about scary.

“You're Yuki, right? Y-you want to hang out somewhere?” I stifled my chuckling at this failed attempt to hit on Yukiko.

“What...? Wh-who are you?” Yukiko said, confused.

“What's up with him? What school is he from? Eh, Kai?” I turned around to see Takuro with another student, with black hair and glasses.

Kai shrugged, “Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think that he'd at least wait until she was alone to make his move...”

“I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out,” Takuro replied.

“No bet! Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi challenge is!?” Kai exclaimed.

“Um, so... are you coming or not?” The boy said, getting rather impatient.

“I-I'm not going,” Yukiko said, flatly.

“Damn, boy! You just got owned!” I said very quietly to Chie, who nodded.

“...Fine!” The boy fled, in embarrassment.

“What... What did he want from me?” Yukiko asked, confused. My palm quickly hit my face as I realized how socially inept she could be at times.

“What did he want...? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date,” Chie replied, snappily.

“Huh? Really...? Yukiko said, completely surprised.

“You really had no clue? Sheesh...” Chie said, “But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden.”

Yosuke walked up, moving his bike as he walked alongside it, “Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel... You got me the same way last year.”

“I don't recall doing that,” Yukiko said, looking confused.

“Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?” Yosuke said, his right eye closed alongside a ladies' man smirk.

“...I'd rather not,” Yukiko said, shooting him down like a high-powered jet bringing down a small biplane.

Yosuke sighed, “That'll teach me to get my hopes up... Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much.” Yosuke got on his bike and pedaled off down the road, keeping as far from any trash cans as possible.

“We're just curious, is all!” Chie shot back, hoping Yosuke could still hear her.

“U-um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this,” Yukiko said, looking my way.

“I should be the sorry one. I don't want Moron King to get on your cases for hanging out with a boy,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood with how creepy that guy had been, “Especially the smart ass transfer student from hell!”

“C'mon, let's go. Everyone's staring,” Chie said, uncomfortable.

As Chie walked on ahead, I turned to Yukiko and smiled, and she returned the favor, though quietly.

“Ah...so you came here because of your parent's job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious,” Chie said, sounding surprised.

“You make it sound like I'm some serial pimp that knocked up like fifteen girls? Hahaha, no, the only trouble I got in was for being a smart ass. Being socially awkward and having little to no friends all your life tends to make you a loner,” I responded.

“For having no friends, you seem able to hold a conversation well,” Chie replied, trying to urge me to reveal more.

Now, I love mind games. But even more, I like to win. Chie seemed like the competitive type, albeit not intellectually, but maybe it was worth a shot.

“I study psychology. The inner workings of the human brain. I'm a social science nerd. Get me in a math or science class, I'll probably fail my ass off. Not for lack of trying. I just like learning, is all,” I realized how pathetic that all sounded, but I was past the point of retreat, “I'm still highly illiterate in social situations. If not for watching all the anime I have, I'd be totally uneducated in social situations,” I admitted begrudgingly.

Chie nodded, “Well, it seems they did you some good. There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there is nothing much that we can show to outsiders. Though, there is something from Mt. Yasogami... I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh, wait!” Chie motioned to her friend, “There's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!”

“Huh? It's just... an old inn,” Yukiko retorted.

“No way! It's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure! It's a great inn! It's been going for generations and Yukiko here is going to take over someday,” Chie sounded very proud of her friend, “Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going.”

Yukiko blushed, “...I don't think that's entirely true.”

“So tell me, you think Yukiko's cute, huh?” Chie asked, out of the blue.

“Wait, what? Where did that come from?” I asked, somewhat shocked.

“Well, answer it already!” Chie said.

I closed my mouth, trying to find some kind of scapegoat, but damn if I could find one, “Yeah, I do.” I blushed hard, and I could tell by the glint in Chie's eyes she felt like a winner right now.

“I knew it!” Chie chuckled, sounding ever more victorious.

“Come on... Don't start this again...” Yukiko muttered sadly.

“She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?” Chie elaborated.

“C-come on, stop it!” Yukiko insisted, blushing even more.

I shrugged, “Maybe she just hasn't found the right g...Person. No need to rush. Especially if King Moron might find out,” I said, mostly joking.

“Y-you shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend!” Yukiko tried to do damage control, “Wait, n-no, what I meant to say was I didn't need a boyfriend! Geez... Chie!”

Chie laughed loudly, “Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our big chance to talk to someone from the city, and you've barely said a word!” Chie looked ahead, “Hey, what's that?”

The three of us walked ahead, finding a group of people gathered next to a police blockade. As the three of us remained quiet, we overheard gossip from the housewives.

“So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street...” One said.

“Wow. Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?” The other wife replied.

“I wanted to see it too.” It? What was hanging on the antenna?

“Uh, you got here too late. The police and the fire department took it down just a moment ago,” What it!? Was it a scary clown from my nightmarish childhood? Damn you, Stephen King!

“Well, I think it's terrifying! I can't believe a dead body showed up around here...” As she said this, everything clicked, and I was rooted to the spot, in fear. I looked at the aforementioned antenna and nearly puked.

“Wait! What did she just say!? A dead body!?” Chie exclaimed.

Before either of us could respond, Uncle Dojima walked over, “Hey, what are you doing over here?”

“We got out from school. I tried to call you, but you were busy. We were just passing by,” I replied, somewhat surprised.

“Huh... I should have figured that would happen,” Dojima said, “That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here.”

“...You know this guy?” Chie asked, eyeing him.

“Of course. This is my uncle, Dojima. I came to live with him. Uncle, this is Chie and Yukiko. I met them just today at school,” I explained, my voice shaking a bit.

“I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian. Uhh...How should I say this... I hope you get along with him,” My uncle replied, making it sound awkward, “But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home.”

Dojima turned to the crime scene, but another police officer ran past, before puking all over the sidewalk.

“Adachi! How long are you going to keep acting like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?” Dojima said, berating him.

“I-I'm sorry, ngh!” Adachi replied, wiping his chin.

Dojima sighed, “Go wash your face. We have a job to do,” Dojima walked off, and Adachi hurried after.

“Is this what that announcement was about!?” Chie said, surprised.

“What do they mean, it was hanging from an antenna...?” Yukiko asked, with a face suggesting she did not want an answer.

“Hey, Yukiko? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?” Chie asked.

Yukiko nodded, “Good idea!”

“Alright, then. We're taking off! Starting tomorrow neighbor, let's do our best!” Chie said, excited.

“Academically? Socially? Not running into crime scenes?” I asked, half-jokingly.

The two walked off, and as they turned the corner, I did what any sane man would do: I got the f**k out of there.

I hurried my way down through the Central Shopping District. Along the way, I noticed the Chinese Diner Aiya. I saw Aika run off, delivery in hand, and I laughed, thinking this might be how she knew all the latest gossip. There was a bulletin board filled with listings of job openings, and a picture of a very familiar enka singer. Next door was Souzai Daigaku, a delightful little shop that sold meat, according to Chie.

On the right side of the road was the intimidating Tatsuhime Shrine. The shrine was beautiful, even with all the birds surrounding it.

Past the shrine was a closed store, Tatsumi Textiles. Seeing the name Tatsumi reminded me of 1999, in the great Tatsumi Island incident. Then, ten years later, a cult predicting the end of the world showed up, led by some man named Takaya. Rumor was that he and his cohort, Jin, survived what they hailed as the Fall, and were doing community service for some secret operation.

The next shop was Nishino Barber. The last notable store on the left was Konishi Liquors. Several police officers stood outside of it, and I quickly walked past.

I finally reached the outside of the Dojima residence and stepped inside.

Later that night, Nanako and I sat at the living room table, watching more news reports.

“I wonder if dad's not coming home tonight,” Nanako said, sounding sad.

“Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa riverbed in Inaba. The deceased has been identified as Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at a local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation has been revealed...”

“The Inaba Police Department!” Nanako exclaimed, “That's where Dad works!”

I decided to try and console her, “It'll be alright,” I assured her.

“...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens,” She said, nonchalantly.

“The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death was an accident or a homicide.”

How in the mighty universe could that ever possibly be a fucking accident? Like, seriously? What dumbass wrote this!? Who accidentally ends up dead on a television antenna with no explanation? Maybe in America, but here!?

The announcer continued, “A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvas the area are delayed until tomorrow.”

“They found her on the roof? That's scary...” Nanako said, sounding worried.

“Oh, it's Junes!” As soon as the commercial started, Nanako brightened up.

“At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes!” The catchy jingle played once more.

“Every day's great at your Junes!” Nanako sang, ousting the boring woman once more.

“Every day's great at your Junes!” I tried to sing, failing miserably, to Nanako's delight.

She laughed at my epic fail, “You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!” Her mind was now completely off of the scary story, and I smiled to myself.

As I entered my room, I immediately passed out. No crappy dreams, either. Things were looking up. Sort of...


	4. April 13th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawke struggles with fitting in as the murder mystery continues to develop. What is this nagging feeling in his chest?

April 13th, 2011

In my slumber, I had a dream. Yet another dream that I didn't understand.

First, Mayumi Yamano, walking towards Yosuke and I near what looked like the shopping district. Red mist flowed from her, until two insect-like legs sprung from her back. Two more came out of her shoulders and slammed into the ground, lifting her up.

A man that looked like a shirtless Jesus, with gold, catlike eyes, staring at me, revolver in hand. Next to him stood a serious-looking young man, with a gun pointed at his own head. Another person, a girl in a very weird outfit, carrying a large notebook smirked at me, in a way that was both evil yet divine. Suddenly, my brain remembered; this was Strega! What were they doing in Inaba!?

Next I envisioned the boy from today, the one that tried to ask Yukiko out. He stepped back, and I felt like he was afraid of me. I noticed a sword in my hand, and without my consent, I moved to attack him.

Margaret appeared before me, her black book now opened. Her eyes seemed serious, as she eyed me. She waved her hand, and the book's pages moved, summoning behind her a creature I couldn't recognize.

I climbed block after block, completely confused about where the hell I was. As I began getting further up, I heard something from below. I looked down to notice a masked creature, stalking me on my way up. I screamed in fear.

My body moved on its own, and I noticed an injured Yosuke, covered in bruises. Before I could ask him how he was, I laughed, before kicking him while he was down. I lowered my sword to the back of his head. I screamed, struggling for myself to stop, and I blacked out.

My uncle stood before me, though his eyes were now a deep, frightening gold. He pulled out his gun and lunged at me, firing, all the while cackling like a madman. I screamed, straining my voice as I tried to run.

The gas station attendant from Moel, the station I visited the first day in Inaba, laughed at me, and I got a really bad feeling.

Before me stood a beautiful girl wearing our school uniform. She had beautiful white hair, and I noticed her deep, red eyes as she looked upon me. I tried to speak, but I suddenly awoke in bed. Damn, she was hot.

The second painful morning went by much more quickly. I soon found myself near the trash that Yosuke had crashed into yesterday. I noticed someone rolling around in a trash can, and when I saw the yellow bike, I knew exactly what had happened.

“S-someone!” Yosuke exclaimed, asking desperately for help from anyone.

Stopping the trash can with my foot, I dragged him out. Damn, he weighs more than I had expected.

Yosuke quickly stood up and got his bike upright, “Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm... Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Robert Hawke. You put the screws to King Moron.”

“I didn't intend to. He's just an insufferable...” I said, rage building once more.

“I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya,” He said, smiling.

“Are you okay? You look like you hurt yourself,” I asked, concerned by his repeated wipe outs.

“Oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Yosuke reassured me, “Say, did you hear about the incident yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna!”

I nodded, “Yukiko, Chie, and I accidentally stumbled upon the crime scene. Down by Samegawa.”

Yosuke looked grim, “You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something like that could have been an accident...”

“That was a homicide. It's obvious, judging by the position of the body. One does not simply fall onto an antenna accidentally, right?” I asked, ensuring this town didn't have some screwed up history of random bodies being found.

“Dangling a dead body on a roof like that? That's just messed up...” Yosuke spoke quietly, “Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place.”

“Yeah. My uncle Dojima has his hands full with work now. He's one of the detectives on the case. Seems like the entire police force is focused on this one case,” I replied, telling him what I knew.

“Oh, crap! We're late!” Yosuke exclaimed, “You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine.”

As awkward as it was reaching school, we made it to class before the final bell rang. Morooka greeted us, the veins bulging on his forehead.

“Be quiet, you idiots!” Morooka berated the class, “You guys ARE in high school, aren't you!? Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense? First of all, my job is to waste my time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice... I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored!? And I'll be going especially hard on you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it!? Now get your books out!”

It was a very long day, as we met all of our teachers. Each had their own unique charms, not that I want to go into detail right now.

Eventually, school ended, and I sighed in relief.

Yosuke walked up to my desk, “So, you getting used to this place?” He started stretching, as sitting in one chair for so long was painful if you haven't done it for a while.

“Not yet, it's only been a couple of days. Literally. I'm not very adaptable, honestly,” I replied.

“Yeah, well, you just got here,” The smarmy bastard replied with his signature cool guy look, “There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh?”

“Chie was quite excited when she brought it up,” I said, reminded of my conversation from yesterday.

“I know a place where we can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me,” Yosuke offered, smiling.

“What about me, huh? No apologies?” Chie said, “My Trial of the Dragon?” Chie complained stressing the DVD title.

“Urgh...You always come around when I'm talking about food...” Yosuke said, somewhat jokingly.

“How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?” Chie asked, looking for backup.

Yukiko stood up, “I'll pass... I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn, anyway.”

“Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?” Yosuke curiously asked.

“It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy,” I noticed Yukiko looked somewhat sullen as she said this, “Well, I should be on my way.” Yukiko left the classroom, and I wondered what may be wrong.

“Oh well. We should get going, too!” Chie said, ushering Yosuke and I along.

“Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people?” Yosuke said, surprised.

“I can help pay, haha!” I said, chuckling.

We stopped at Junes and made our way to the food court. After ordering food with Yosuke's customary discount, we sat at a nice, large table, out in front.

“THIS is the cheap place you were talking about...? They don't have grilled steak here.” Chie complained.

“Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans,” Yosuke said.

“Toot-toot! All aboard the freeload express!” I said, laughing.

“Still, that's no reason to take us to your place,” Chie said, and I wondered what she meant by that.

Yosuke sighed, “Dude, this isn't my place or anything,” I looked confused, and Yosuke noticed, “Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it.”

“Holy crap, this place grew this much in six months!?” I exclaimed, and Yosuke smirked, proud of his father.

“So our entire family came out here,” He continued, grabbing a soda, “Here, this is to welcome you to town.”

I grabbed my soda as he turned to Chie, “Satonaka, yours is on me, too!”

“Yeah, I know,” Chie said very dominantly, causing me to smile a little.

“So Chie, are you the only non transfer student here?” I asked, curious.

Chie nodded, “Yep, Inaba born and raised! Guess it's why I love the grilled steak here so much.”

Yosuke chuckled, “You love pretty much anything that has protein and died.”

“Wha! Hey, that's not fair! There's nothing wrong with liking meat in your diet!” Chie said.

Yosuke smirked at this, and started to egg her further, “Do you even chew before you swallow?”

Chie looked surprised by this retort, “Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?”

I jumped in, “He's asking you how you like your meat.”

Chie blushed and smacked Yosuke and I lightly before changing the conversation, “It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the shopping district much since,” Chie noted, “A lot of stores started closing, and....Oh, uh...” As Chie abruptly stopped, I looked around to search for what made her stop mid-sentence.

“You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?” Yosuke said, exasperated, “It's not like my dad wanted to hurt the local business...”

“Man, it's fine. There's nothing wrong with a retail chain bringing competition. Makes a community grow stronger together. Unites the people. I saw it in my home town. Walmart came in and put half the city downtown in the unused building section. People survived, and thrived,” I tried to bring a positive to the situation, but Yosuke's attention quickly shifted.

“Hey... It's Saki-senpai!” Yosuke said, noticing a girl. I recognized her as the older sister who ate the cream puffs I had briefly met two days ago, “Sorry, be right back!” Yosuke stood up and went to speak to her.

“Is that Yosuke's girlfriend?” I asked, startled.

“Haha, he wishes!” Chie said, “That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs the liquor store in the shopping district. …I think she's working here part-time, though.”

“That must be awkward, considering what's going down in the shopping district right now, right?”

Yosuke made playful conversation with Saki, who referred to him as Hana-chan, and Chie looked at him, somewhat sadly, “I feel bad for him. I really don't think she likes him. Sees him kind of like a kid brother. But Yosuke, he can't control how he feels. Then you have a bunch of the locals who resent him 'cause his dad owns Junes, and you can tell how lonely he is sometimes.”

“Well, he's got us, doesn't he?” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Saki and Yosuke walked toward us, and Saki greeted me, “Are you the transfer student?” I nodded, “Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much.”

“Uh, not necessarily,” Yosuke replied, somewhat surprised by the direction of her comment.

“He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he gets nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you,” Saki added.

“Nah, he's a great guy! Took Chie and I here and got us free food and everything. 'Sides, he understands what's it's like to be a transfer student,” I said, relating to him.

“I know, I'm just kidding,” Saki said, chuckling.

“Come on, Senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that,” Yosuke defended himself.

“Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go...” She said, sounding annoyed, but she covered it up quickly, “Laters!”

“Oh, uh, Senpai?” Yosuke interrupted, but she walked off before he could refute her comments, so he sat back down, “Hahah, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me! She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way...”

Chie smirked, “Oh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Haha, I get it... So that's how it is... The daughter of the local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain... Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!”

“Wha-!? Dude, it's not like that,” Yosuke replied, blushing wildly.

“Oh, really? Well, I know just the thing to cure a lovesick heart,” Chie said, ignoring his comment, “You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen... And they say that person's your soulmate!”

Yosuke laughed, “What? For a second, I thought you were going to say something actually useful,” Yosuke added, “How can you get excited over such a childish urban legend like that?”

“Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?” Chie exclaimed, somewhat insulted.

“Of course I don't,” Yosuke said, not batting an eye.

“Well, it's raining tonight. Let's all try it out, and then you'll see!” Chie said, challenging him.

“Why am I involved? Haha, I never said it wasn't true!” I said, not wanting to stay up so late.

“Try it out...? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself yet? Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid... All that aside, you know that incident yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit is still lurking around?” Yosuke chuckled, an evil grin on his smug face.

“Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one...? All I'm saying is, you guys better try it out tonight,” Chie pointed out.

“Man, if I don't get to school from lack of sleep, I'll get payback,” I told Chie, who outright laughed.

“Or what? Hahaha, how do you expect to make me suffer in return, huh? Besides, I'm doing it, too!” Chie said, defending herself.

That night, the dinner table was quiet. Nanako ordered takeout and we both sat at the table, “Did your father call?” I asked.

“No. He always says he will...” Nanako said. The sliding door slid open, and Nanako jumped up, “Oh! H-he's home!”

Dojima walked over to us, looking physically exhausted, “What a day...” He turned to us, “I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?”

Nanako frowned, “No, you're late again...”

“I'm sorry. Been busy at work...” He sat down on the sofa, “Can you put the news on for me?” He said, clearly not wanting to hear it.

Nanako turned to the news posthaste, and the announcer began, “Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Miss Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer, Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship, and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the student that discovered Ms. Yamano's body.”

“An interview with the kid?” Dojima sighed, “Where the hell did they find her?”

The person on screen looked like Saki Konishi, despite her eyes being blocked out and part of her face obscured. It was obvious to anyone who had seen her close up that it was her. The reporter sounded like a fascinated kid, and one of the most annoying people I've never met, “What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?”

“U-umm...” Her voice was heavily distorted as well.

“Don't you think it was scary someone was killed on a foggy day?” The reporter asked. I remembered my dream the day before her body was found, the foggy other world I had found myself in. Could that somehow have been related? I barely remembered what happened, except for all the fog, though I think I met someone. My head hurt as I tried to remember.

“Huh...? She was killed?” Saki replied, surprised.

“Oh, err...Did you see anyone suspicious around here?” The reporter tried a new angle.

“No, not really,” Saki spoke.

“We heard that you found her body when you school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?”

“What does that even have to do with the murder case? This just became Gossip Girl,” I complained, and Dojima nodded in agreement. It seemed he too, was unable to stand this reporter.

“Huh, that's....” Before Saki could try to ask him to explain what he meant, it cut back to the announcer.

“--a tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many store owners are raising concerns over losing customers as a result.”

“If they lose more customers, it's because you're making such a stink about it,” Dojima said, his annoyance obvious.

A commentator spoke, “It really is a bizarre case, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from, an antenna... I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit...”

The announcer replied, “Yes, but so far no one has come forward to take credit for the crime.”

Dojima sleepily added, “Loads of prank calls, though.”

“So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force that can't even figure out if this is an accident or a homicide?” The commentator rudely added.

Dojima sighed, and I spoke, trying to defend him, “Try and do it yourself then, Mister I know everything.”

“We'll be right back after these messages,” The announcer cut the commentator off from saying any more.

The Junes commercial played once more and Nanako sang the jingle right after the woman in the commercial once more.

“Hey, Dad? Can we go to Junes together sometime?” Nanako asked, excited, but Dojima was already asleep.

“...No?” Nanako wondered, until she noticed he was asleep, “Geez...”

“I'm sure he'll let us go,” I assured Nanako, “Ask him tomorrow. I'm going to head to bed,” I said.

“'Night,” Nanako said, returning to her quiz show.

I passed out, my alarm ringing loudly at 11:30. I sat up, waiting for the accursed midnight channel,. The rain pounded against the roof, making my room look especially dark and dreary.

As midnight struck, nothing happened, but just as I turned, I heard the TV come alive. I saw a girl on the screen, which caused me relief. It looked like someone from the shopping district.

“Thou Art I....I Art Thou....Thou are the one who opens the door...” A voice spoke in my head and I hit the floor, unable to contain the pain in my head. I sat up and put my hand on the TV screen, but it passed through. As my hand went inside the TV, I cursed to myself. Something pulled, and I fell in towards the TV.

Luckily, it was pretty small, so I fell back. Slamming my head against the work table while I was at it.

“Are you okay?” Nanako asked.

“Kind of... I hit my head... Haha...” I replied, rubbing my now sore head.

“Okay...” Nanako replied, “Well, good night.”

As Nanako went back to her room, I looked at my TV and asked, “What the fuck just happened!?”


	5. April 14th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Class and fighting, isn't it all troublesome? The group encounters their first Shadows and learns of the dangers of the television world.

April 14th, 2011

Thursday, my first in Inaba. I woke up slightly late, naturally, as my dreams got rather weird after watching the Midnight Channel.

As I gave it thought, I remembered how rare it was for me to remember my dreams in the first place. I got dressed and picked up my new phone. My parents insisted. Too flashy for my tastes, honestly. I'm not using it for anything other than calling, to be honest. As I looked out the window, I noticed how badly it was raining. Well, shit. Time to get my umbrella.

My silver umbrella matched my hair as I strolled into the bathroom. I looked at my hair and sighed. The haircut I had just wasn't doing it for me. Whipping out a trusty pair of purple scissors and a comb, I set to work. Spikes are always cool, right? Fifteen minutes of hair styling later, my silver hair now stood defiantly against the sky. Not bad, but I'd have to go to Okina City later to get it done more professionally. Grabbing my umbrella, I opened up the front door and made my way to Samegawa.

As I reached the Samegawa flood plain, I noticed other students headed to school alongside me. Takuro, Kai, and Tatsuya were strolling towards school together, while Maki and Aika walked alongside each other. A nice, cozy, little environment we had going on here.

“Sorry!” I heard someone familiar say, and I turned to be greeted by Chie, who ran up close to me under my umbrella.

“Hey, Chie,” I said, nonchalantly. I ran a hand through my hair only to find it was back to the bowl cut. Damn it...

“Perfect timing! Sorry, move over!” Chie said, somewhat embarrassed, “I did have my own, but I saw this kung fu movie where they used an umbrella to pull off some sweet moves... And... I accidentally broke mine trying to mimic the movie.”

I chuckled, “Sounds like you.”

Chie looks at me, surprised, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You know, cute, spunky? That kinda thing,” I replied, “Er, not that I pay attention to that.”

Chie looked like she was about to respond, but something clicked and she instead asked, “By the way...did you see it?”

“The kung fu movie?” I said, unsure.

“You know, the thing we were talking about yesterday. That Midnight Channel... Never mind. I'll save it for when the others are around. We're gonna be late for school.”

We started walking along together, but I noticed Chie was looking down at the ground, rather embarrassed, “Oh... U-uhh... I-it's kinda awkward to only bring this up now, but... we're pretty close here...U-um, I'm gonna just go ahead and run the rest of the way!”

“Don't worry about it. Besides, you'll catch a cold,” I said bluntly.

“Huh...? Are you sure...?” Chie asked, reluctantly, “If you say so, then... I guess it's okay. Thanks,” She walked up next to me once more, “Alright, let's go.” She's rather cute when she's indecisive.

Eventually, we got to school after a conversation about kung fu movies and what stores had the best meat.

Today we met our world history teacher. She...Well... She wore a pharaoh’s hat and kept a dowsing rod on her person. She looked like an Ancient Egyptian dressed like a businesswoman. It was a weird combination.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Kimiko Sofue, and I don't know how much you know about world history, but I'm an expert,” Ms. Sofue introduced herself. Oh, really? We'll see who knows more. She continued, “First, a little about me. I love to use my dowser to find items, and there's nothing quite like a romance. In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river, it was born in the past and flows ever forward. I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Hohoho.”

But rivers end. History doesn't. Or at least in theory. Our textbook for this class was very ornate and detailed, obviously a choice of Ms. Sofue.

“I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Ho ho ho,” She laughed rather oddly, but no one even remotely seemed surprised. Was this usual of her? “And since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question. Our transferee, Mr. Hawke, please stand up.”

What I do hate about Japan compared to America is the expectation to stand when you are asked a question. Is it really to foster a student-teacher relationship, or just to add that extra highlight to who that dumbass sleeping in class is? Nevertheless, I stood at attention, hoping not to be ridiculed if I got the question wrong.

“The western calendar is based on Anno Domini, the traditionally believed year of Jesus Christ's birth. What is the year before 1 AD called?” Ms. Sofue looked me over expectantly, and this was obviously a test to ensure my former schooling was sufficient.

“1 BC,” I answered, not giving it too much thought. Why historians did this awkward transition eluded me, but at least I knew of it.

“Ah, you seem to understand this well,” Ms. Sofue nodded, “If you think that history is like math, 0 AD would be the natural assumption, but world history is much more complicated.”

For no good reason, in this case. I sat back down as she continued, “The Gregorian calendar we use today is based on the Julian calendar, which was made when there was no concept of zero as a number,” Except for Arabians, I thought, “That's why, when counting backwards, we go from 1 AD straight to 1 BC. Hopefully, that will be a nice introduction to world history...”

More like the history of zero.

Eventually, it was lunchtime. The cafeteria was in another section of the school entirely, and two large doors led outside to the sun-filled outside half which closed in case of rain. Yukiko was busy working on homework because she had little time due to all the help the inn needed. Chie said she would studying in the library for the history quiz next week, and Yosuke was thinking of heading into town to get food from Aiya's.Thus, I decided to sit alone at one of the tables and enjoy the sunlight for a nice change of pace.

As I sat at one of the central tables, I perused the local cliques. The school sadly did not have a Kendo Team, and the lack of a pool meant no swim team either. The basketball and soccer clubs were the only male alternatives, while female athletes could join tennis. Some of the girls, led by a Senior named Ayumi, managed a group of cheerleaders for the school, somewhat based on Western tradition. Because of this, quite a few people specifically steered clear of it, especially after Mr. Morooka demanded to run the team. Naturally, he intimidated many of the other students.

I also noticed someone sitting alone. The young Freshman was a legend at this school. Wearing multiple piercings, metal jewelry, and a black sweater with a skull and crossbones design under his uniform made for an intimidating performance. Kanji Tatsumi, the freshman who defeated an entire biker gang in one fight barehanded. Kanji towered over pretty much every person in school. His eyes were blue, and his hair was bleached and slightly blonde, something like a sweptback crew cut.. A scar from some unknown scuffle was noticeably above his left eye. He was most likely sitting alone due to his fearsome reputation. Hell, even I knew who he was. Before a long time passed, someone sat next to him. The teenager was a boy I'd seen on my first day here. He was the boy arguing with his sister. They began to talk, but I couldn't hear anything before someone walked up to me.

The young man standing in front of me was from Class 2-3. His dark blue hair and gray eyes made me realize he was one of the basketball players. He was wearing the standard Yasogami High uniform, and he smirked, “Hey, new kid. Thinking of taking on Kanji? Plan to make a name for yourself or somethin'?”

I nodded, “No, I just...I've heard about him. He's probably one of the few people here that I know anything about. I'm not suicidal.”

The guy laughed, “Good, hate to see you get killed so early in the year. Name's Kou. Kou Ichijo,” He held out his hand, and I shook it, “I'm the leader of the basketball team.”

“Recruiting, are we?” Kou turned to see Chie walking up, Yukiko nowhere in site, “Yukiko's busy so I thought I'd eat lunch with Robert, but it seems like I walked in on your opening pitch.”

“Come on, Chie, give me a break. I could use all the help I can get. The team's dying,” Kou said, concern in his voice.

Chie laughed, “Well, maybe if the school allowed the teams to be co-ed, you'd have enough team members to actually play a game!”

Kou blushed a bit, “I actually wouldn't mind having you on the team, but...”

I interjected, “Moron King would kill you.”

Kou's face darkened, “Damn him...He's going to get the team disbanded if we don't get new members soon.” Chie sat across from me as Kou stood there, quiet.

Another guy walked up to Kou, “Hey, Kou! What are you doing? Recruiting the new kid?”

Kou rolled his eyes, “Not you, too, Daisuke.”

I noticed Daisuke now. Daisuke had short, brown hair, brown eyes, and even a brown band-aid on his nose. He was wearing the Yasogami P.E. Uniform, a very plain, turquoise uniform, “Hey, Kou. Thought I'd see how your recruiting was doing? Heard what the school said about your team's lack of, well, being a team.”

Kou grimaced, “Stuff it, Daisuke,” He smiled and winked, “You're just mad the soccer team's first match has been postponed.”

Daisuke laughed, “Maybe. Doesn't matter, it gives the team extra time to practice.”

“When they aren't gossiping, you mean,” Kou replied bluntly, “Anyways, see you later, transfer.”

“Name's Robert. See you later,” I waved Kou and Daisuke off, and then I turned to Chie when I noticed she was eating an abnormally large amount of meat, “Uh, no comment.”

Chie, her mouth stuffed with big, juicy meat, looked at me, “Vhut?” She said in a muffled voice, as she continued wolfing down the nicely cut up grilled steak.

I moved the conversation forward, “Never mind that. Didja see Yosuke?”

In true irony, Yosuke walked up to the table just then, “Confessing your love without me? Aw, how sweet.”

Chie and I blushed, but she beat me to the punch, “What the hell is that supposed to mean!? What are you trying to say!?”

“Hm, getting defensive, are we?” Yosuke winked as he sits next to me, while he snickered at Chie's shock giving way to rage.

“That does look suspicious,” I quipped.

Chie turned to me, “Hey, don't you start on this, too! You know I wasn't confessing anything!”

“Yet,” Yosuke added, earning a killer glare.

I laughed, “Calm down, Chie. I'm sure it's just a joke, right? What is there to be so mad about?”

Chie nodded, “Yeah, but Yosuke knows how to get under my skin.”

“Ah. I thought you might already be in a relationship from how angry you got,” I said, matter-of-factly.

“Her, a boyfriend?” Yosuke exclaimed, “In her dreams.” Chie's elbow quickly hit Yosuke in his groin, sending him face first into the table.

Chie was now clearly red with anger, “Shut the hell up, creep! Like you've ever dated anyone either! Don't judge me!”

“Neither of you have ever had a date? That's surprising. Yosuke's personality is mostly alright. And you, Chie....Well...I just can't imagine someone like you not ever dating.”

“Someone like me? Like...what?” Chie asked, hesitantly, as Yosuke slowly sat up.

“A carnivore?” Yosuke asked, barely getting the word out. Chie glared at him once more.

“Well, you're kind, honest. You're athletic, and you're in great shape. You're pretty cute, too, so I don't...Did I say all that out loud? Hahaha......Um...Forget what I said...” After realizing the things I was saying, I quickly shut myself up, but the words had already entered their ears, and the reactions they both had came swiftly.

Yosuke's eyes widened, “Dude, you really think that!?”

Chie was blushing heavily, and she left her mouth open, gaping at me, unable to say something.

After the last class ended and the bell rang, people quickly left the room. I noticed Maki talking to some girl still in her seat, “Did you hear about the body being hanged upside down?”

The girl she was talking to, Mika, nodded, “Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution? It's messed up...”

Maki nodded, “My Senpai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body...”

As their conversation rattled on, Yosuke walked up next to my desk, “Y-yo. Um... It's, uh, it's not really that important, but...Well, yesterday on TV, I...” Yosuke grimaced, looking at the floor, “Oh, uhh... never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha...”

Chie walked up with a surprised look on her face, “Yosuke, did you hear the rumor? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body.”

“I wonder if that's why she looked so down... She doesn't seem to be at school today either,” Yosuke replied.

Yukiko stood up out of her chair, and Chie turned to her, “Huh? Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?”

Yukiko looked really depressed as she answered, “Things are really out of hand right now... I'm sorry,” She walked away.

“Is it just me or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?” Yosuke asked, concerned.

Chie frowned, “I guess they're running her ragged... By the way, did you see...it...last night?”

“Huh...?” Yosuke seemed lost in thought, “Uh, well, what about you?” Yosuke deflected the question back to Chie.

“I did! I seriously saw a girl! But...my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean!? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure...”

Yosuke snickered, “Whoa, Chie, didn't know you swung that way? Sorry to disappoint you, eh, Rob?”

Chie blushed and quickly responded, “Hey, I'm not-...Not that I have anything against that! I just don't feel that way...about girls, I mean.”

Yosuke faked a sigh, “Hear that, man? You still got a shot,” He put his hand on my shoulder, giving me a congratulatory thumbs up and a winning smile.

Chie turned back to what she saw last night, “Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing a school uniform, and...I dunno, it caught me off guard.”

Yosuke's eyes widened, “Hey...I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out that much detail though...The image I saw was much blurrier.”

Chie looked surprised, “Wait! So you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl!? Does that mean...we have the same soulmate?”

“How should I know?” Yosuke exclaimed, blushing slightly.

Deciding to turn the joke on Yosuke, I asked, “Sounds like you share a soulmate. Good luck sharing with Yosuke, Chie. He's probably the jealous type.”

Chie looked at me funny, “Woah, I don't think that she could date us both!”

Yosuke smirked, “So you'd be okay dating a girl now?”

Chie stomped her foot, “Not what I meant, dumbass! I just don't know if that kind of situation would work! And why of all people do I have to share a soulmate with you? Why not someone more...mature?”

Yosuke and I laughed as she fumed, but as I chuckled, I remembered exactly what I had seen last night. The entire day I had been running through my head how I could possibly coherently explain what happened last night, but still, the answers eluded me.

“How 'bout you? Did you see it?” Yosuke turned to me. Chie also looked at me.

I gulped, the nervousness overcoming every inch of my being, resulting in a bit of sweating and a rather large lump in my throat. “Well, uh...Essentially, I saw who you described. The key difference was that I uh...I was so shocked by what I was seeing. Then I heard weird voices spouting bullshit... I was so confused that I rested my hand on the television and, well....My hand went into the TV. Not like, broke into it. It just sort of, went in. Either the television or some on the other side... pulled me in. If the television hadn't been so small, I might have fallen completely into it. Next thing I know, the big of my head is causing a splitting headache and Nanako was asking if I'd hurt myself. I hit the back of my head against the work table, so I went to bed.”

As I finished my rather odd story, I looked at the two of them, expectantly. As I had assumed, they both began to laugh hysterically.

After finally regaining control of himself, Yosuke continued, “It sounds like we all saw the same person...But weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV...? Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV.”

Chie continued rationalizing my experience, “That'd be one interesting dream, though. I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. If it had been bigger-” Chie abruptly cut off, before moving to another thought, “Ohhh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV.”

Yosuke turned to look at her, “Oh yeah? Well, flat screen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month.”

Chie smiled, “Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! Hwa-taaa!” Chie emulated a fighting stance while making a noise that sounded like it may have been from a Bruce Lee film.

Yosuke looked somewhat embarrassed before he turned back to me, “We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into, hehe.” They continued talking all the way to Junes about last night and my story.

Eventually, we made our way to Junes. The inside of the store was absolutely huge. They had sections for literally every kind of thing you could ever want to buy. Even a section labeled adult, with a guard to check customers' ages.

Yosuke led us to the electronics department, where he showed us the largest flat screen television they had. It was humongous, easily sixty inches of pure, unrated, HD goodness.

“Wow, this is huge! And...Holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this!?” Chie exclaimed, as surprised as I was.

Yosuke shrugged, “I dunno...Rich folks. Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have many clerks around.”

Chie nodded, “Huh...Not worth trying, then, I guess. Well, at least looking's free.”

Chie and Yosuke nodded to each other and both pressed their hands against the television screen. All that happened was remind me of how stupid I had sounded.

“...Nope, can't get in. Figures,” Yosuke concluded.

“Haha, this proves it. It was all just a dream,” Chie says, sounding self-assured.

“Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side,” Yosuke continued, “Argh, what am I saying?” Yosuke grimaced, “So Chie, what kind of TV are you guys in the market for?

“They said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?” Chie asked.

Yosuke led her to a selection further down the line, “Well, Miss, might I suggest this one over here? It's the newest model, just released this spring...”

Chie's eyes widened, “Wha—that's not cheap at all! There's way too many zeroes!”

“I should've asked what you meant by “cheap” right off the bat.” Yosuke realized.

Chie begged, “You've got connections, right? C'mon, hook me up!”

Yosuke closed his eyes and groaned, “You know I can't do that...Just because I'm the owner's son doesn't mean I can cut special deals. Hey, how about this one over here? It's a display unit. It's a little bit older, but...” Yosuke and Chie bickered about televisions as I turned my attention to the flat screen.

The screen didn't seem odd at all, and I began to truly wonder if what had happened really had been a dream. I realized it must have been, but I had to check. I reached my hand towards the television, and my hand fell inside. White circles expanded from where my hand had entered the television.

Some few seconds later, I noticed Yosuke talk to me, “Oh, yeah, Robert, what kind of TV do you--”

As Yosuke cut off abruptly, Chie seemed confused, “Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?” She looked at me and her mouth gaped open.

Yosuke stared at me incredulously, “I-is his arm...In the TV...?”

“Whoa!” Chie said, still surprised, before she tried to rationalize it, “Uhhh...Is that some kinda...new model? L-like with a new function?”

“Hell no!” Yosuke shot back.

The two of them ran over to me on either side. “You gotta be kidding me...Did you really stick your hand through the screen?”

I moved my arm in further, “Does this answer your question?”

“Oh, man... This is for real... That's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh? What's the magician's secret!?” Yosuke asked.

I pulled my arm out, “It feels huge in there. I'll take a look inside.”

“What do you mean 'take a look'?” Chie said, as I leaned forward and placed my head inside the television. Inside I saw bright, yellow fog, and what seemed to be a studio for some production.

“H-hey, don't do that! What're you doing!?” Yosuke said, the panic rising in his voice.

Chie gasped, “Oh my god!!”

“There's some kind of...building inside here...There's lots of empty space.” I explained.

“Wh-what do you mean, “inside”?!” Yosuke said, trembling.

Chie's trembling affected her voice, “Wh-what do you mean, “empty space”!?”

“It seems very spacious in here, actually...” I added.

“Wh-what do you mean, “spacious”!?” Yosuke excitedly said.

“I mean, what's going on!?” Chie almost yelled out of fright and confusion.

“Holy crap...I think this is all too much for my bladder...” Yosuke said, holding his groin as he jogged in place.

“What the-? Are you gonna pee your pants!?” Chie said, disgust blatantly clear.

“I've been holding it in all day! I haven't had a chance to go...” Yosuke explained, pain in his voice, “Aargh! Can't hold it anymore!” Yosuke ran to the bathroom, but he abruptly turned back, “Shit! Customers! They're coming!”

“What!? But we've got a guy half stuck in the TV here!” Chie replied, even louder, “What're we gonna do!?”

Chie and Yosuke ran around panicking, before one of them dropped the ball and fell into the other. They both collapsed me, and we were all sent flying into the TV world.

I landed hard on my face. Chie, luckily, had enough time to land on her feet, and Yosuke slammed ass first into the hard floor. I finally got to my fight and walked over to Chie and Yosuke. As Yosuke got up, he rubbed his backside, “Ouch! I think I busted my ass...”

“I'm so surprised...” I said, nonchalantly.

As the three of us stood, I looked at the floor I could barely see. There were outlines of people, like tape at a murder scene had been used here. Whatever it was, it creeped the hell out of me.

“So...uh...we're still alive...Right?” Chie hesitantly asked, looking around for any sign of people or building.

“Are you guys okay?” I asked, concerned for their well-being.

“My ass is cracked, but otherwise, I'm fine,” Yosuke said.

“Of course it is!” Chie angrily replied.

“Whoa!?” Yosuke managed to get out, as he stood in awe of our new location.

Chie asked, “What now!? Did you wet your pants!?”

“No, stupid! Look around!” Yosuke angrily replied, waving a hand in front of him before pointing around them.

“Is this...a studio?” Chie wondered aloud, “All this fog...or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there?”

“Hell no...” Yosuke said in a whisper of a voice, “But man...this place is huge...”

“What're we gonna do?” Chie looked worried now, realizing the lack of information we had about where we were.

I looked in her eyes, “It's alright, Chie. We just need to find a way back home. I'm sure there's a way out of here.”

Chie nodded, “Maybe back the way we came...” As she turned around, she stopped moving, “Wait a minute...Which way did we come in from? I don't see a way in...our out!”

Yosuke and I looked around, but neither of us could see any exit or any sign of entrance for that matter.

“What? That can't be right! H-how could that be!?” Yosuke tried to rationalize things.

“I don't know! Don't ask me!” Chie fired back, even more frightened, “I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!”

“Okay...So how!?” Yosuke pointed out her lack of a plan for escape.

“Guys, calm down! We need to act logically. Fighting is only going to waste our energy, and if we stand any shot at getting out of here, it's best we do so together. We have no idea where we are or what else is here, and we have to work as a team!” I almost yelled at the two of them. They needed to calm down, but even more importantly, I needed to think about something other than the impending fear that was overtaking my thoughts.

“Y-you're right. Okay...Okay,” Yosuke agreed, “Let's calm down and think about this. All right, so we need to find a way out.”

“Is there really a way out of here?” Chie asked, worried.

I walked up to her, “Chie, I know you're scared. I am, too. But I promise you that Yosuke and I will find the way out. We won't leave you hanging,” I extended my hand, and she took it, shaking on it.

“Yeah. We got in...so we must be able to get out somehow...” Yosuke added.

Chie nodded, “That's true, but...”

“If there is no exit, we're trapped. So let's cross our fingers and look around,” Yosuke finished. We began walking in a random direction until we heard a noise, like someone crying. It only happened for a quick second, but the cry was very noticeably a woman. We immediately headed in the direction of the voice, which stopped even faster than it had started.

Next thing I know, we were standing to the railing of an apartment building. “What is this place...? It feels different from where we were before...” Chie said. I had noticed it, but hoped the thought would go away.

“It looks like we're in some kinda building, but... Damn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see,” Yosuke said, breaking the growing silence.

“Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?” Chie second guessed our decision to come here.

Yosuke sighed, “I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instincts a little.”

“I know, but...” Chie stopped talking, and we headed into the room in front of us.

“Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?” Yosuke asked.

I nodded. The room was much clearer to see. The small apartment building looked ragged. The bed looked unused, though I expected that. There were posters all over the walls with faces or other parts viciously cut out. The windows outside were completely shrouded in fog. The plants had all died, and the rest of the room seemed virtually untouched, except for one chair. A lone chair sat in the corner, with what looked like a scarf tied into a noose hanging menacingly above it.

Before I could point it out, Yosuke spoke, “No service. What a surprise.”

“Can’t you guys slow down a little? It's hard enough to see where you're going...” Chie finally joined us, and she turned to the chair in the corner. “Huh? What the...!?” She looked around, “It's a dead end! There's no exit!”

“It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go...” Yosuke said, before jogging in place once more, “Aargh! I can't hold it in anymore! My bladder's going to explode!” Yosuke ran to the opposite side of the room.

“Yosuke, what are you doing!?” Chie yelled.

“I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!” Yosuke explained quickly.

Chie looked angrily at him, “You're going here!? Oh, you've got to be kidding!”

Yosuke turned back to Chie and I, “T-turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching!” After a moment, he gave in, “Aaaaargh...I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!”

“Like I care!” Chie said, callously, before retracting it, “I'm sorry, but I..It's just not a good time, Yosuke. I wanna go home!” Chie looked around once more, “Anyways...What's with this room? Check out these posters...Their faces are all cut out... Someone must really hate this person...”

Yosuke walked up to the chair below the noose, “Dude...this chair and rope...That kind of arrangement is never good... It's tied in a noose. Is this a scarf?”

“C'mon...Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit...” Chie asked. Yosuke nodded, and we walked out.

Before he stepped out, Yosuke stopped, “Hey...I think I've seen that poster before...”

“Who cares!? Let's go! I am sick of this place!” Chie yelled back, “And I'm not feeling too good...”

I nodded, “The air is heavy and...it's almost physically painful to be here. We need to leave, soon.”

Yosuke nodded, “Now that you mention it, me too...Alright, let's go back. I'm seriously starting to feel sick...”

As the three of us exited the strange room, we heard what sounded like very awkward footsteps. They came closer, and soon we were greeted by...I'm not sure. The creature before us was an anthropomorphic bear, if that makes any sense. Shorter than the three of us, he had huge eyes, a zipper around his neck suggesting it was merely a costume, blue fur, and a jumpsuit with red and white lines alternating across it with three big, red buttons lining the middle.

The creature, which I will refer to for now as Kuma, walked up to us.

“What is that thing!?” Yosuke squeaked out, somewhat horrified yet oddly confused.

“I could ask the same thing of you!” The bear's voice was high and laughably cute, for whatever reason. He pointed at us, clearly a male bear.

“He can talk!?” Chie spoke, after a small silence.

“Of course I can talk! I am a bear, after all! I've lived here since bearever!” Kuma replied, a horrible pun mixed into his reply.

“Seriously, what are you!?” Yosuke said, exasperated, “You're creepy, and what even is this place!?”

Kuma shielded himself with his arms, afraid of getting struck, I assume, “Hey, you gotta keep it down! All this yelling is going to attract the Shadows!”

“Shadows? What do you mean?” I asked, curious.

Kuma nodded, “They're bearifying! Here, take these and get out of here! Quickly!” The bear handed me light, pale blue glasses, and I reluctantly put them on. Instantly, the fog was gone. I could see clearly down the entire hall. That was when I first noticed them.

Oozing out of one of the walls, some mysterious creatures fell out in the creepiest way. Soulless blue faces with pained expressions formed on black blobs of nothing that gave form to multicolored tongue-creatures. The monsters were pink and blue, lines spanning their bodies, except for two red slashes that may have been eyes above their enormously large tongues. They began floating and came after us. Chie, Yosuke, and I fled. I saw where we were going, but Chie and Yosuke didn't have the glasses, so they sped off in a random direction. I gave chase, since I had to keep them safe.

We ran down the stairs into what looked like a parking lot for the apartment when the slimy creatures caught up to us. One of the monsters licked Chie straight in the face, knocking her out cold. Some swung by Yosuke, but he dodged out of the way. I dodge rolled out of the pathway of two that tried to hit me from behind, but they just kept taking dashes at us. Yosuke tumbled to the ground, and I stood there, unable to move.

“I am thou....Thou art I...” I heard a voice in my head, and the creatures stopped. Someone came out of the fog.

The woman before us looked exactly like Mayumi Yamano, but something was wrong about her. Her eyes were a deep gold and as she smiled at us, her teeth were much sharper than they should have been. “My, my. Come for my autographs!?”

“Mayumi Yamano!” Yosuke barely choked out, “But...You're dead! You died, yesterday!”

Mayumi's lookalike laughed, “Oh, yes, I know. I'm the one who killed her. More like freed her, in a way. And she isn't completely dead. I mean, I AM her...”

Yosuke's eyes widened, “You...You killed....So you're the murderer!”

Mayumi laughed deeply, as the creatures waited for her cue, “I didn't kill her. I just released all of her true feelings. She should be truly thankful that I freed her from her confinement. After all, why would she want to live any longer? Getting fired from her job just because she fell in love with a man whose wife didn't even love him!? What kind of bullshit is that!?” Mayumi growled at the thought, “Misuzu this, Misuzu that. She's not even a good singer, and she's hideous at that! How could that wretched hag ever trick my Taro into marrying her is beyond me! I was freeing him from a loveless marriage! Why am I the villain? And that bitch triples her sales!? I've had enough!” A red aura emanated from her as her rage built up, causing a crescendo of screams as black shadow-creatures floated around her.

“What...are you...?” I said, unable to comprehend what was happening.

“It matters not,” Mayumi said, sweetly, “Since you will all die here. More fodder for Ameno's plans!” Mayumi snapped her fingers, and the tongued-creatures attacked us with everything they had.

I closed my eyes, trying to come to grips with my impending death. I opened them when I heard the voice, “Thou has opened thine eyes...The time is NOW!” A small card floated before me. On one side was a face similar to that of the shadows, in a more calm, state. The other side showed a tarot card. The Fool, if I wasn't mistaken. The card floated closer to me. The floor beneath me shaped itself to form the back of the card.

“Per...” I thought about everything leading up to this event, and I found myself speaking foreign words, “so...” I didn't stop, nor would I have if I could have, “na!” A powerful, almost overwhelming blue aura rushed around me, small bits of lightning coursing through them. I crushed the card in my hand, and the aura intensified a thousandfold.

Behind me, a figure appeared. My mind thought of only one word; Izanagi. He was a large being, much taller than I could ever be. His sword was easily ten to twenty feet long, and I can't imagine how wide, maybe three feet. His black cloak and metallic helmet-like face stood out to me. As the creatures looked at me, I pointed Izanagi their way. Izanagi cut one of the monsters in half, sending a sharp pain through me. The attack seemed to drain a bit of the life in me, and I noticed a large bruise on the hand I had summoned him with. He disappeared, and from the monster I had killed dropped a large tooth and a golf club. The monster seemed to have eaten it, so I picked it up as the three other creatures flew at me. I smashed the club into one of them, sending it flying to the ground. One licked me into the air but I slammed down onto its face in retaliation.

I slowly unzipped my uniform, unable to contain the heat building up around me. The fourth creature flew into me, sending me back. I stumbled, and thought of Izanagi. As the card flew in front of me once again, I smashed it, “Izanagi! Use Zio!”

Izanagi appeared and held out his left hand to the creature, which exploded into black mist as thunder jolted throughout its body.

Mayumi laughed at my performance, but Yosuke looked at me with awe, “That was awesome!”

“Persona. That....is my...power,” I turned to the Mayumi lookalike, “You. What are you? Because you sure as hell aren't Mayumi Yamano...”

“You dare defy my very existence...Mayumi did that, too...And I...I killed her. I killed myself. Ahahahahahahahah!” Mayumi glowed as the red aura began to consume her, “You may refer to me as Mayumi's.....Shadow. I am a Shadow, the true self! The real Mayumi was nothing like anyone expected! And now I shall prove that I am her, and she was me!”

Two giant legs, insect-like, came out of her back. Two more came from her shoulders and lifted her up off of the ground, “You will die for your resistance!”

I stepped back, club in hand. Shadow Mayumi waved her arm, sending one of her insect legs at me. It hit me in the chest, knocking me back. I summoned Izanagi, who shocked it. The leg exploded in flames and faded away, causing the Shadow to screech out in pain.

“Insolent brat!” The shadow quickly grew another and sent it my way, and I jumped on top of it, hitting it with the golf club as hard as I could, breaking it in half.

Shadow Mayumi shrieked, and I saw my opening. I summoned Izanagi once more and yelled, “Cut her down!” Izanagi reminded me telepathically the damage I would inflict upon myself, but I nodded for him to cleave her anyways. Izanagi leaped forward, stabbing through her last leg she used for defense, piercing her stomach. The shadow screamed in agony and exploded into red puffs of smoke as the black shadowy creatures exploded into black and red swirls of air, fading away. Eventually, all that was left was Shadow Mayumi, who hit the ground, hard.

“Alright, answer me! What are you, really? Did you kill Mayumi?” I demanded, walking up and picking her up by her shirt.

“Hahaha...Not the first time someone's done this...I k...I killed Mayumi, but it was not me who brought her here. She found her way here, and I took....advantage of that fact....That is all....I can't tell you why she was here....Or what happened. It....isn't my place...It would.....Ruin the fun...” Shadow Mayumi faded away before me, and whatever life had been left of Mayumi was definitely gone now. Whether it really had been a part of her or some cruel joke played upon us by the world we found ourselves in, I shook it off. For now, we were safe.

Chie finally awoke, and I wondered if it was Shadow Mayumi's powers that kept her from reawakening in the first place. Being licked wasn't truly as painful as one may think.

“Ugh, what happened? Where'd those creatures go!?” Chie shouted, sitting up quickly and crossing her arms to her chest.

“It's alright, Chie. Robert here kicked the shit out of them. There's more to that story, but...I'll tell you when we find our way outta here,” Yosuke explained.

Chie nodded, and I lent out my hand. She took it, and the three of us ran back to where we had entered this strange world from.

Eventually, we found our way back, and Chie put her arms to her hips, gasping for air, “Whew... We finally made it back here. Wait, what's that!”

She pointed to the fog, and out came Kuma, “Who are you guys? How did you get past the Shadows!?”

I looked at him, “Can I know your name before I answer?”

Kuma nodded, “I'm Teddie!” He said triumphantly.

“Of course it is...”Yosuke groaned.

“Well, I got rid of them,” I said matter-of-factly.

“What is this place?” Chie interrupted.

“I dunno what you want me to say. It doesn't have a name. I've always lived here. So have the Shadows,” Teddie explained.

“You...live here?” Yosuke sounded confused.

“If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side,” Teddie said, sounding concerned for us, “Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache.”

“Huh? Throwing people in? What are you talking about? Wait!” Yosuke realized something, “Maybe someone...threw in Mayumi?”

“The announcer lady? What about her?” Chie asked.

“After you got knocked unconscious, she appeared. But something was wrong. She tried to kill us. We managed to destroy her, but she said some things... Disturbing things,” I tried to explain, and Chie's face reflected the growing fear.

“Teddie, do you know who's been throwing people in here?” Yosuke asked, hopeful.

“I dunno who's doing it!” Teddie's face was very animated, even in the costume, “I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!”

“Hey, what's your problem!? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that!?” Chie yelled back as Teddie raised his voice, “What ARE you!? Where are we!? What the heck is going on here!?”

Teddie fled, and he hid behind me, shaking, “I already told you... A-anyways, you should hurry back.”

“What it comes down to is, you want us to get out of here, right? Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!” Yosuke raged.

“Urrrgh! That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!” Teddie replied.

“Like I said, we don't know where the frickin' exit--” Yosuke stopped himself, “Wait...What?”

Teddie tapped his feet on the floor, and three old style televisions popped in out of nowhere in front of me.

“What the-?” Yosuke was shocked.

“Where did those TVs come from?” Chie asked.

As the three of us walked up to inspect them, Teddie pushed us, “Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!”

“What's going on now!? Whoa! Hey, what're you doing!?” Chie almost screamed in shock.

“S-stop pushing!” Yosuke choked out.

We fell through alternating black and white edges of a giant television screen before we hit the floor of Junes, greeted by the music playing inside.

“Huh? Is this...?” Chie was barely able to form words now.

“Did we...make it back?” Yosuke asked, eyes glittering with tears of joy.

The three of us stood up, “Guys, I think we...We did it.”

“Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!” The announcement ended.

“Crap, it's already that late!?” Yosuke was trying to find the time on his phone.

Chie nodded, “Looks like we were lost in there for quite a while.”

Yosuke looked to a nearby wall, “That's right! Now I remember where I saw that poster before... Look over there! That's the poster we saw! It's Misuzu Hiiragi, the enka ballad singer, that council secretary cheated on. The one that Mayumi Yamano got fired over!”

“Hey, does that mean...” Yosuke pondered, “That weird room we saw... Could it be related to her death? Now that I think about it... There was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling,” He freaked himself out more, “Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my heart can take any more.”

Chie nodded, “I'm feeling a chill too...”

I raised my hand to her head, “You have a fever. Maybe this morning was what did it. Or maybe that place we went to really was making us ill. You should get some extra vitamins tonight and rest early.”

“Yeah, we should all head home,” Yosuke concurred.

That night I made it home just before the rain intensified. I entered the living room and found Ryotaro and Nanako sitting at the table in the living room.

“Hey, welcome home.” Dojima said.

I sat down at my spot, and I felt very weak, “Uh—Hmm...Well, I doubt you'd know...” Dojima started, “But have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?”

“Yeah, Yosuke Hanamura introduced me to her. She works part-time at Junes. She discovered the body, and people are talking about how bad it must have hit her. She didn't even come into school today, which is odd, because she did yesterday.”

“Oh. I see...To be honest, we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet...” My eyes widened as I realized how worried Yosuke would be. I knew I still had to tell him, but...

Dojima sighed, “Work just keeps piling up...”

The news started up, “And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death were unknown. But the police investigation has found that she was recently staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn.”

“Oh,” I said, dejectedly, “That explains a lot. My friend Chie, the one I was with the day you found the body... Her friend Yukiko, the daughter of the inn owners, has been run ragged lately. Now I can imagine why...”

The newscaster continued, “She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal?”

A commentator replied, going off topic, “Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there.”

Lecherous swine. Why don't you die in a fire? I thought, disliking the tone of the older man's voice.

The news talked about how fog would overtake the town tomorrow, but I tuned out after that.

“Is the ramen ready now?” Nanako asked.

“Give it some more time,” Dojima said sternly.

I sneezed, the sickness overwhelming me.

“Are you sick? Then again, you are still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?” Dojima asked, politely.

Nanako nodded, and ran to the bathroom.

“You should get to bed after you take it,” Dojima reminded me.

I nodded, “Yeah, thanks.” I headed to my room after taking the medicine, and I instantly crashed to my futon, falling into a blissful sleep.


	6. April 15th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A second Fool enters the game as the mysteries shrouding the previous events of the series begin to come to light. Can they handle an entourage of deadly Shadows and begin facing themselves!?

April 15th, 2011

I woke up early on the 15th. It felt great; no weird dreams, no late night interruptions. I got dressed and headed downstairs, hoping to put what happened yesterday behind me once and for all.

As soon as I got downstairs, Dojima waved to me as he left, “Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off.” He left as quickly as he had spoken, and I was left alone with Nanako.

“Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left,” Nanako explained. Despite her calm demeanor, she clearly looked worried.

“Thanks for telling me, Nanako. We'll walk to school now, yeah?” Nanako nodded, so I went to get my school things.

After seeing Nanako off, I walked down the Samegawa Flood Plain. I noticed two girls from my class gossiping very loudly, “I was so surprised, Saori. When I looked by, I saw three police cars zooming by.” I recognized Maki, who was using a red umbrella. Her friend, Saori, was using an umbrella similar to my own.

Saori quickly replied, “You live by the police station, don't you? Did you hear anything?”

“I heard some yelling, but nothing more. Total disappointment,” Maki explained.

“Geez, you need to pay more attention to stuff like that. How else are we supposed to get juicy stories?” Saori whined.

Sirens blared nearby, and so I hurried past the girls towards the school. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach something horrible was happening.

\----????'s POV----

I looked down at the rest of my body, somewhat reluctantly. I was completely nude, having just been reawakened. Despite the fact that, like my sisters, I was anatomically correct and biologically functional, being set to hibernate for almost twelve years hadn't aged me. As memories flooded back to me, I noticed lots of memory cuts here and there. I began to question why these memories were omitted, but figured it had been part of my development. I looked up at the woman who had brought me back to the world of functionality. The date, according to my inner clock, was April 10th, 2011.

I didn't know her by name, but by the way she carried herself, she was a Kirijo. She had long, dark red hair and matching color eyes. She wore a short black pea coat, a white scarf, and white pants, along with black boots. She looked at me, but I could not identify the emotion she was experiencing. Hopefully she wasn't as callous as the last Kirijo I had encountered.

“Greetings. Miss Kirijo, I presume?” I asked. I was surprised by my own voice; it sounded very human, much more so than I last remembered. 

I was a weapon, created to destroy Shadows. They were my one and only enemy. The Kirijo Group put many models like myself through rigorous tests. They realized we needed personalities, egos of sorts, to use what they had labeled “Personas”. Another facet of our personality, they drew power from our hearts, our emotions. The item they used, a “Plume of Dusk”, was designed to give us emotions. 

After three years of two failed generations, they decided to make their weapons look more human. Even then, problems arose, until they went ahead to create Androids. By Androids, I mean they took the DNA and emotions from a young, terminally ill child and passed those genes into us.

Despite this, we were all different and unique, like people. The mechanical additions to our body kept us almost eternally young, though for how long this would be effective wasn't clear, since only fifteen years had passed since we were first produced. I was a member of the Eighth Generation Anti-Shadow Weapons. I was also the only. All of my sisters had supposedly been destroyed, though I couldn't prove either way. The last data I had been sent was a distress signal, almost a year ago. From a robot designated, Aigis. She was perhaps my last living sister.

“Interesting. Do you know anything more about me?” Her voice was ice cold, and she was calculating every small movement I made.

“No, madam Kirijo. I assume if you are indeed a Kirijo, that something has befallen Kouetsu. Good riddance. That scum made me sick, and it's rather hard to make a mechanical maiden sick. Is Takeharu well?” I asked, gauging for any kind of reaction.

React she did. Her eyes showed a sign of pain as she replied, “My father passed away a year and a half ago. He was murdered by one of the scientists who started the fall.”

“Shuji Ikutsuki, I take it? I have records that he attempted to alter the data of my sister, Aigis,” I asked, trying to keep myself sounding as mechanical as I could to avoid suspicion. I had to escape. The Kirijo Group intended to use me, and I had no intention to allow them to.

“Where did you get that information?” She asked, somewhat surprised.

“When I was shut down, it was only partially. I have received much data. Mostly combat data for Aigis. I also have information on two other units. Unit #31, Labrys. Unit #64, Genesis. Genesis was released by the scientists to become a detective in Kyoto. He has an impeccable record. As the only male Unit, he feels the need to prove himself. He is registered as hotheaded. No data for Labrys has been recorded since she was deactivated for killing several scientists in an attempted escape,” I recited the logs from my memory banks, which loaded in front of my eyes on a special lens right below the cornea, designed not to interfere with normal sight. I looked down at my body once more; the metallic attachments to my arms were standard, as the ones to my legs and neck. Despite this, the room was noticeably colder than I had previously calculated, and I began to shiver, slightly.

 

“Two....Two more units? I had...I had no idea. The lab was decimated so badly...Interesting. So, Unit #63, what should I call you?” She inquired, “My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, leader of the Kirijo Corporation.”

 

“I am....I don't...I'm sorry, I was never designated an official name. There was one scientist, though. Before he was transferred overseas, he called me...Serah. Serah Hawke. His name was Dr. Keisuke Hawke. He grew discontent with the research the Japanese government would permit. He is currently working in some office in the United States. His wife is deeply involved in his work, and they have made great headway in robotic psychology. They were the ones who focused so heavily on the Plume of Dusk, and they quit the projects here due to our maltreatment. If that behooves you, you may refer to me as such, or use my unit number. What is your first order, my lady?” I asked, trying not to sneer.

“Order? So you intend to work for me? No questions, no hesitation? I find that hard to believe. If you have any desire not to work with me, you can say such. I can make accommodations so you can return to a “normal” life in society.” She offered, and that wall of ice cold emotionless lifted ever so slightly.

I sighed, “Why would you let one of the most powerful machines created go? I was made as a weapon; I expected you to use me as such.”

“My grandfather would agree. But my father and I, we wanted to make up for the mistakes he made. The creation of Tartarus, the Dark Hour. The coming of Nyx...I lost two of my best friends, people who meant so much to me, in that conflict,” She trailed off, lost in thought.

“Nyx? Excuse me, what is that?” I could not resist asking.

Mitsuru sighed, “Long story. One I don't care to tell right now. If you want, I can have your sister tell you while I get you something to wear. Then we can talk about where you plan to go from here. Sound acceptable?”

I was still very wary of her; never trust a Kirijo, “Very well, please. I'm actually quite interested to meet Aigis.”

An hour later, I was clothed in a school uniform, from some place called Gekkoukan High. That school was on Tatsumi Port Island. The school was built to replace the secret laboratory where the Shadow experiments had been conducted. Once a prison for emotional, mistreated Androids like me, was now catering to private school children.

The door opened, and a girl walked in. My sister, Aigis. Aigis was an android with short, blond hair and dark blue eyes. She was also wearing the same uniform, as if it was made for her. She had a red ribbon tied around her neck, which made me think where that design choice came from, “Aigis, I...presume?”

“Serah? You are my...My sister, yes? My younger sister, if I am correct,” Aigis's voice sounded much more human than mine did, and there was a subtle gentleness to it. Whether Aigis worked with Mitsuru for her own reasons or she was merely a pawn, I was shocked by this. I decided to drop my facade regardless.

“Yes, I...I am. I've never had family before. Or even a fellow Android to care about. The experiments our older sisters endured...They were beyond cruel. I believe your memories of this were damaged in your first fight with Death, as you have no recollection. As I recall, Death was a key part to the creation of the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but beyond that, I have no information on any of the subjects,” I spoke much more openly. My voice wasn't too high, and I spoke calmly with a bit of force.

Aigis nodded, “Mitsuru told me to explain those events, so you could better understand what we do now. Her grandfather wanted to bring about The Fall. He sought to destroy humanity and the world, and to rebuild it. He, of course, would be God in this new world. Quite obviously, he failed. The Shadows broke out after a brave scientist, Eichiro, tried to sabotage the experiment. He split Death into twelve different beings, each representing an Arcana, and spread them across Japan. Only Ikutsuki survived. He later organized the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. Formed of Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, and Shinjiro Aragaki, the three wielded Personas. They were the only ones who could combat Shadows. Tartarus was the school on Tatsumi Port Island, Gekkoukan. During the Dark Hour, it turned into a giant tower, at the top of which Nyx came down. The Dark Hour was a twenty-fifth hour as a side effect of Eichiro's actions. During this time, ordinary people transmogrified into coffins. Only Persona users could remain active. The three did recon until an incident occurred. Shinjiro accidentally killed Ken Amada's mother, and he quit. He began taking Persona suppression pills, which have fatal after effects and eventually kill the user.”

“Why weren't the three of us recruited?” I asked.

“They could not find you or Labrys. They knew of Genesis, but he was unable to use a Persona. They found me years later, when they had amassed many more members. Junpei Iori, the class clown. Yukari Takeba, the daughter of Eichiro and a very kind girl. Fuuka Yamagishi, a quiet, more withdrawn member that scanned and analyzed Shadows. If you join us, you'll certainly meet them and Akihiko. There were.....” Aigis stopped speaking for a brief moment, “I can't bring myself to talk of them....Minato and Minako. Two bystanders, just children during the Shadow incident. They...I had sealed Death inside the two of them. They...They managed to join us by sheer luck. We eventually recruited Ken Amada, the young boy I spoke of earlier. Koromaru, a loyal dog. Shinjiro rejoined us before he was terminally injured. There are also Strega. Originally, Strega were our enemies. They sought to protect the Dark Hour, and used it and their Persona abilities to commit illegal activities. We were created because of them, ironically,” Aigis paused, “The Kirijo Group took one hundred orphans and experimented on them in an attempt to artificially extract Personas. Only three lived. Takaya, Jin, and Chidori. Chidori almost died at the hands of Takaya by irony, when he shot Junpei. She sacrificed herself to save his life, and died. Somehow, he brought her back. Jin was almost killed in an explosion. Luckily, the same technology that makes us whole kept him alive, and now he's the latest “Android”. Takaya's still alive, only just barely. Because they didn't receive their Personas naturally, they have to take the pills I mentioned earlier. He has only a small time left, and he wishes to die in combat. Naturally, Chidori joined SEES when her Persona awakened naturally, and Jin and Takaya had nowhere to turn to.”

“Like me...” I said, somewhat sullenly.

“I assure you, Serah. You do not have to join us. I promise. We eventually killed the twelve Shadows, not knowing what would happen. Ikutsuki used and abused us, and reprogrammed me to kill my friends. Ikutsuki was killed that night, but his blood, and that of Takeharu's worked as the sacrifice. Nyx was summoned as a boy named Ryoji. Minako seemed fond of him in his final moments. 

Eventually, we had a choice. To forget everything and let the apocalypse occur, or to try and prevent the inevitable. We fought, and it took all we had. Minato and Minako...” Aigis hesitated for a moment, and a tear fell down the side of her face, “They died, sealing Nyx away. Their deaths...............SEES was disbanded, and reformed for a brief period to fight Erebus. The being that truly wished to destroy humanity. After that, Mitsuru founded the Shadow Operation Organization. Essentially, we monitor the world and destroy any Shadow threats to humanity. Rarely do any serious things come up with the Dark Hour and Tartarus destroyed, but there are some cases time to time. One potentially serious case has arisen. This is why Mitsuru doubled up her search for Labrys and you. In hopes you would join us.”

 

I had no idea what to say. That was a lot of information to grasp at once. It seemed like an unbelievable, insane story, but deep down I felt it was the truth. “I honestly don't know...What is the alternative?”

 

Aigis nodded, “Mitsuru has agreed to let you live a normal life if you choose. We have selected a nice countryside town called Inaba, for you to stay in. If you wish to live there, we can provide what you would require. You would live with Takeharu's former maid, Jenaya. If you find that suitable, you could....I just hope you wish to remain in contact with me, for I....I've never had a sister, either, and I would....love to get to know you better.”

“I....I'd like that. I'm not sure if I want to fight Shadows, anyways. I don't even have a Persona,” This information seemed to surprise Aigis.

“Ah, well, then maybe it would be best. I'll discuss with Mitsuru. Granted, we will come and visit occasionally. Not us, personally, though I'd prefer that,” Aigis hugged me, and I felt how truly warm she was. Not just the heat emanating from her body or the heart beat, but the true care, the genuine love she sent in my general direction. I was legitimately touched. Never before had someone, anyone, cared about me like that. It took everything I had not to cry.

 

It was now April 15th. I looked back on everything that had happened over the last few days. Moving to Inaba, getting things to live with, meeting Jenaya. She was only thirty, and she was very kind. I suspected she and Takeharu had a romantic relationship, but that was none of my business. Today would be my first day attending Yasoinaba High School. I was going to be the newest transfer student, to class 2-2. 

The teacher, Mr. Morooka, gave me a thirty minute lecture before school of why I should be a pristine, chaste student, bringing to my class an example to follow. The new uniform I had was not as comfortable, but it was from a public school. I entered the class and looked around. No one in particular interested me at first, but certainly some people looked at me so.

My long, black hair went down to just below the nape of my neck, and it was so soft. My skin was also surprisingly soft, and my light blue eyes were described to me by Aigis as “the clear sky on a sunny day”. As for my, other assets, I was certainly going to attract attention, and the scowl of Mr. Morooka all but confirmed this. It didn't particularly matter to me; I wasn't intending to procreate like a rabbit.

“Alright, listen up you perverted nitwits! We have YET another transfer student, like we haven't had enough. None of you guys better get any ideas or I'll beat you like the dumb dogs you are? Got it!? Introduce yourself, and be quick about it!”

I looked to my class, and I noticed some stared at me. I had successfully hidden my robotic enhancements with the uniform, and after some reconfiguration at the laboratory, what parts remained were almost unnoticeable without it, “Hello, class. I, I'm glad to meet you all?” I gave them a nice, though somewhat confused, smile, before I ended it with, “I am Serah. Serah Hawke.”

That was when I noticed the eyes widen on one boy in class. He had silver hair, and he was looking directly at me. As sweat rolled down the side of his head, I began to wonder what had shocked him so. In the end, I sat next to him, separated by the walkway between us. The girl next to him, a kind-looking brunette with a green jacket, whispered to him, barely audible to anyone but him and me, “Hawke? Is that, like, your sister or somethin'?”

He nodded, “I don't know why she has my last name. I've never seen her before today.”

His last name is Hawke? Who is he? Could he be...No, it wouldn't make sense. Why would he...Is this why Mitsuru chose this place? Because he was here? Is he the son of Keisuke? He could be, but even then....

\----Robert's POV----

The girl named Serah surprised me. She looked nothing too familiar to me. She sounded intelligent, and she was definitely attractive. No way was she related to me. Haha. But what were the chances? Who was she? I didn't have time to think on it, before class resumed. This would be the least confusing thing to happen today.

That afternoon, we were all taken to the multipurpose room. I tried to tell Yosuke about how Saki had gone missing, but I never had a good opportunity. He, Chie, and I stood together at the assembly. Yukiko was still working at the inn, or so it seemed, and this left the three of us to talk amongst ourselves. Serah stood close to us, closer than most others, and I hoped to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, she was gone when I looked back.

I noticed Mika was conversing with another girl from our class, Kana, I believe, She had long brown hair, and she was quite pretty, I suppose, “Hey...Did you see it yesterday?”

Kana rolled her eyes in response, “Of course not...What, is that rumor for real?” I assumed they meant the Midnight Channel.

“I dunno, but it seems like a lot of people have seen it. Even Aika mentioned it, and I know Tatsuya, Aki, and Kai watched it last night,” Mika replied.

Chie checked her cell phone, “Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch...” She turned to Yosuke and myself, “I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden...Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?”

Yosuke averted her gaze, “Oh, it's nothing...”

I remembered at that moment, “Yosuke, I forgot. I tried to tell you earlier, but my uncle told me that...Well, Saki went missing. She's disappeared.”

As I said this, I saw the blood drain from his face.

 

Ms. Sofue addressed all of us at this time, “Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say.”

She stepped aside, and our aged principal took the stage, His beard was tremendously long, a bright white, and his rimmed glasses accentuated the wrinkles on his face, “I... regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Miss Saki Konishi of Class 3.......has passed away.”

Immediately, the crowd lit up in small discussions here and there, mixed with surprised gasps and cries of fear.

“Passed away...!?” Chie was barely able to have the words leave her mouth, with how shocked she looked. Everyone did.

I turned to Yosuke, who looked as if he had just been stabbed in the groin. The amount of pain on his face hurt me. Damn you, empathy!

“Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning... The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you, as students of this school, to provide only the facts.” 

Once again, talk erupted, and the Principal waited a moment before speaking again, “All right, please quiet down... I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police but to anyone who asks...”

Now it was clear he was attempting to protect the school's reputation. Does that really fucking matter right now? One of your students is DEAD, and you're trying to keep your reputation? Selfish fuck.

“Found dead...? How could this happen...?” Chie was still in shock. She turned to Yosuke, whose face had reached a lower level of pain.

Chie and I were walking down the highway just before school ended. The assembly had taken up the last hour, so we were heading to our lockers. We noticed two girls talking, “She died the same way as that announcer, right? That's so creepy...”

“Well, last time, it was from an antenna, but this time she was hanging from a telephone pole. It's gotta be a serial murder case...” The girl's friend scared the girl slightly.

The girl continued, “Someone said the cause of death was some unknown poison.”

“Unknown? C'mon, this isn't some sci-fi drama. Oh, by the way, did you hear? Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel thingie. They said she totally looked like she was in pain. Isn't that scary?”

“Haha, sounds like someone had a nightmare. The media's been broadcasting their interviews with her nonstop, so maybe they just had Saki on the brain,” The two walked off, talking more.

Chie glared at them, “Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved.”

“That's just how some people are,” I said glumly.

Yosuke walked up to Chie and I, and he asked us, very seriously, “Hey...Did you guys check out the TV last night?”

“Yosuke! Not you, too!” Chie exclaimed.

“Just listen for a sec!” Yosuke demanded, “Something...kept bothering me, so...I watched it again, and... I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai. There's no mistaking it. Senpai looked like....she was writhing in pain... And then...she disappeared from the screen.”

“What...?” Chie sounded skeptical.

“You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer's body, right..? Well, remember that guy you told me about? How he was all excited that his soulmate was the announcer? Maybe, just maybe.....but...Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too,” Yosuke explained his theory to us, and I admit, it made me think very hard about the possibility.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Chie asked, before getting what he implied, “Hold on...Are you saying...People who appear on that TV...die?”

Yosuke nodded, “I can't say for sure. But something tells me... I just can't dismiss it as coincidence... Plus, remember what Teddie said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the Shadows come? How he mentioned that they get deadly when the fog clears? He also said someone has been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall...It has to have something to do with Mayumi's death. I mean, don't you think there's some kind of connection we can make there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death? Well...? What do you think?”

I nodded, “Yosuke, you never struck me as as such an intellectual detective. But damn, I think you're on to the truth here. It makes complete sense, for what little sense that world makes.”

Yosuke smiled a bit, “So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means... If we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too.”

“Yosuke, don't tell me...” Chie started, sounding very scared by what he was planning.

Yosuke acknowledged her worry, “Yeah...I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself.”

“D-don't do this...You should just let the police handle this and-” Chie pleaded.

Yosuke shrugged it off, “You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world in the TV, there is no way they'd believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, then fine. We can drop it for good. It's just...I need to find out why Senpai had to die like this.”

Chie could only utter, “Yosuke...”

“After what I've seen, and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now. Sorry, but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes.” I knew he meant me. Was it truly worth going back there?

“I can kinda understand how he feels... But we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again. What should we do...?” Chie asked.

“Stop him, of course! Even if he's totally right, if we don't find Teddie we can't leave! And you got sick last time. I'm not putting you at risk again,” I said bluntly, “If he absolutely has to...I don't want you to come with us.”

Chie turned to me, “You actually intend to go along with this!?”

“What if he is right? What if our only chance to ever find the truth is to go back? What if we could find some information to help the police? Only we can do it, Chie! How many people do you know jump into TV worlds?” I pleaded.

Chie sighed, “I guess, but it's not safe. Can we at least try to talk him out of it first?”

I nodded, “We need to get to Junes. I'll meet you there, I need to get something from my locker.”

Chie nodded and ran off ahead of me, gathering her things and heading out the door.

I walked over to my locker, and opened it. I noticed a noise from behind me. I turned, but I was not fast enough. I was lifted off of my feet and pressed against the locker. The new girl, Serah, looked at me with absolute hatred in her eyes, a malice I had not seen before, “Guh...”

“Quiet! I think it's a little too coincidental that you would have my same last name and go to this very same school I was sent to attend! So you're going to tell me who the hell you are and, why you're here! Well, Mister Robert Hawke?” She let up just enough for me to be able to breathe again.

“Wha....what...? I'm here....because my parents went overseas...That's all...I swear. I have no...idea who you...are...I promise....?” I barely managed to choke out. I was surprised by how physically strong she was. I grabbed her hands, clawing at them for my freedom, which only caused her to punch me in the stomach. I almost blacked out at how intense the pain was, now overrunning all of my other sensations.

“We'll see...” She tightened her hold on me, and I felt like she was going to kill me. I lifted my hand, and I noticed just behind her, the Arcana Card. I was confused at first, but decided to crush it. After a few brutal seconds, I crushed it in my grip, and Izanagi appeared. He was smaller than he normally was, probably to fit inside. He unleashed a large bolt of lightning, striking Serah from behind and sending her flying into the front wall. She cracked the bulletin board in half and slid down. She stared, incredulously, “You...have a Persona!”

“How do you...?” I said, trailing off as she leaped my way. Izanagi flew forward, cutting through her defenses and sending her to the cold, hard, wooden floor, cracking it in several places, his blade somehow unable to cut through her. Pain exploded inside my body, coursing through my entire being, but I held my ground, “Why are you...attacking me? I haven't done anything...”

Despite what I had done, she managed to still be standing. Whatever she was, she could take a pounding. Slowly, she struggled to her feet. She looked at me, before sighing, “Alright, I trust you. If you really worked for the Kirijo woman, you wouldn't have stopped there. Now stop attacking me with that damn thing.”

“Izanagi will be referred to as such. You don't have to like me, or him, but show some damn respect. And tell me who the hell you are, or why I was just assaulted!?”

Serah sighed, “Fine, but don’t hurt me afterwards.”

After we walked to Junes, conversing the whole way, we found out why we were connected; She knew my father somehow, and she transferred here on the request of someone from the Kirijo Corporation. She must have been pretty important. What personally astounded me was her physical power. Despite not having a Persona, she managed to survive two of my most powerful blows. Granted, I had almost no experience using Izanagi, but he was still beyond most human ability.

I told her about Yosuke's theory, and my time here. She asked a lot about me, more than I asked about her. She was very reluctant to reveal anything, though I figured it must have been a painful past.

We reached the electronics department, where Chie and Yosuke awaited us. He noticed Serah and I, “You guys came...!”

Chie interrupted, “We came to stop you, idiot! C'mon, you really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous.”

“I know... But we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again,” Yosuke rebuked her argument.

“Maybe isn't good enough!” Chie blurted out.

“She has a valid point,” Serah said, and Chie and Yosuke both finally noticed her presence.

“Serah? New girl, right? What are you doing here?” Yosuke asked inquisitively.

“Robert brought me up to speed. Thought I'd come along for the ride. Gives me a chance to get to know you guys better. Plus, it sounds fun. A world no one knows about? Imagine the potential!” Serah seemed to have a more optimistic view of the other world.

“Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me,” Yosuke said, directed at Chie.

“That's true, but...” Chie trailed off.

Yosuke looked me in the eyes, “What about you? Could you just walk away?”

“I have no qualms about going, and Serah has made it clear to me she demands to be shown this other world. However, I don't think we should drag Chie along with us. That wouldn't be right,” I honestly replied.

“Yeah, it'll be just us three, then. Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this,” Yosuke handed her a long rope.

“Huh? What's this? A rope?” Chie confusedly asked.

Yosuke nodded, “We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold onto this and wait here.”

Chie freaked out a bit at this, “Wh-what? Then, this is a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec...”

 

“Here, Robert. This is for you,” He handed me the golf club from yesterday, “I brought it back with us. I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed. Alright, let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of that rope.”

The next thing I knew, Serah, Yosuke and I were eating the cold floor of the TV world once more, “Ouch, my boobs!” Serah yelled, landing hard on her stomach.

“Hahahahaha, should've been more caref-oogh!” I slammed face first into the floor.

The three of us stood up, “Is this...?”

“Same place exactly,” I finished Yosuke's thought, “They are connected place to place.”

“Y-you guys... Why'd you come back?” Teddie walked up to us, still his dapper old self, “I get it! You're the ones behind this!”

“You're that thing from last time! Wait, what the hell did you just say!?” Yosuke said, angered by his accusations.

Teddie turned his back to us, “Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up... This is the second time you guys came here, and I doubt anyone forced you in. That means you are the most suspicious!”

“Nice deduction,” I admitted, “It's based on solid logic. It's not us, but I can't say we couldn't have been the guilty party, either.”

“You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, rawr!” Teddie growled at us, but it sounded more cute than threatening.

I shrugged, “Don't label us like that. The only people I've ever been inside here with is these two and Chie.”

Serah introduced herself to Teddie, “Hey, Teddie. Nice to meet you. I heard what you were like, but I didn't imagine it to be true.”

Yosuke interjected, “What're you talking about, throwing people in!? If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-”

Serah interrupted him in kind, “A psychopath might.”

“Wait a sec...” Yosuke started, “All this talk about someone throwing people in here... Does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that “someone” throw those two in here? H-hey, what do you think?”

I agreed, “The perfect crime. Throw them in here and murder them. No one would ever suspect you or believe the truth.”

“Yeah, I agree. Let's assume he’s telling the truth. Could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them...? If so, why? What would they gain?”

Teddie stomped his foot on the ground, “What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways!? It's a one-way door, and you can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?”

“Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli-”

“No, we have a broken rope,” Serah pointed out.

“H-hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!” Yosuke said, sounding a bit like begging.

“Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!” Teddie demanded of us.

“Well, we don't have any proof. I mean, we stumbled in here the first time, and now we want to investigate, but...No, we don't have proof to the contrary,” I told the truth straight out.

“See! So it is you guys!” Teddie concluded.

“For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you! Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time when we came here by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up. People have died in our world, where we come from. Every time the fog appears, a body shows up with it. Someone new dies. We think it has to be related to this place somehow. If you know something, anything, please, tell us!” Yosuke asked, hoping for any answers.

“A dead body..? Whenever the fog appears? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here,” Teddie explained. How the hell could you know that!? “It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent. Aaaah.....I get it....”

“What do you mean, you get it!?” Yosuke said, exasperated.

“Yosuke. If it's foggy in our world, the fog lifts here. The Shadows get violent, and we get a dead body. The Shadows killed them, don't you see!? That's why there are no noticeable wounds or anything. What could be left over from those monsters? They don't exist for most people!” I explained, piecing it together.

“Alright, no more questions! I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!” Teddie accused us once more.

Yosuke failed to contain himself, “Dammit...I've told you how many times!? It's not us! I would never, EVER kill Saki Senpai! Not for any reason in the world! Why won't you listen to me, dammit!”

“I'm just making sure...” Teddie said, sadly.

Yosuke sighed, “Weird bear...Why does this place look like a TV studio? Is something being filmed here?”

“With no electricity? I find that hard to believe,” Serah said.

“Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?” Teddie was now confused.

“Does someone film the people who get thrown in here?” Yosuke restated the question.

“Eh, I don't get it. This world has always been like this. No one has ever done any filming thing here. It's just me and the Shadows that live here,” Teddie replied.

Yosuke's veins in his neck bulged, “You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what’s with that stupid costume!? I'd say it's time you showed your face!” He grabbed and unzipped Teddie's head, only to find the “costume” was empty. Hollow. Yosuke flung the head to me, screaming, and I calmly handed it back to Teddie.

“Does nothing phase you?” Serah asked, eyes wide open.

“Hm?” I barely heard her.

“W-what the hell are you..? It's empty inside!” Yosuke could barely believe his eyes.

Teddie looked upset, “Me, the culprit? I wouldn't do such a thing... I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully... Okay, I'll believe you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find out the real guy who did all of this. You have to stop him! Promise me, or else...I'm not gonna let you guys outta here.”

“Y-you little...!” Yosuke swiped the air in front of him, typical of him when enraged.

“This can't keep going on! My home will be a complete mess! And then....and then....I...Waaah.....” Teddie started crying, in such a way that I had to hold back my empathy once more. DAMN YOU.

What are you crying for all of a sudden!? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out!” He sighs, “What do we do?”

Igor's words came to my mind. So this is the contract he meant I would sign? Really? To a crying bear!? Whatevs.

“You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me...?” Teddie pleaded.

“Sure thing, Ted.” I replied, “Right, Yosuke?”

Yosuke looked at me, his face a mix of shock, confusion, and annoyance.

“Thank you!” Teddie hugged me.

“Damn bear...practically holding a gun to our heads...” Yosuke stated.

“Maybe that's how you and Serah will summon your Personas,” I joked.

“But...It's true we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh? Bring it on! You got my word, too!” Yosuke resolved with himself.

Serah thought about it, “I did come here to learn some information. Might be nice to know who the psychopath serial killer is, right?”

“Might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. This is my buddy, Robert Hawke,” Yosuke said, “And she's Serah Hawke. And you're Teddie, yes?” Teddie nodded. “But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?”

Teddie shrugged, “I dunno... Oh, but I know where the last person came in!” Teddie explained.

“The last person...? Oh, you mean Saki-Senpai!?” Yosuke said, sounding hopeful.

“I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You guys should put these on.” Teddie handed Yosuke rectangular yellow glasses. I got clear, uncolored glasses, and Serah got a pair of deep velvet blue glasses.

“What're these glasses for?” Yosuke asked, wary of the bear.

As we put them on, the fog surrounding us evaporated instantly. The world had never been more clear to us. Even physically, I felt better, relieved when I put them on.

Yosuke looked surprised, “Whoa! The difference is like night and day. With these on, it's like the fog doesn't even exist.”

Teddie nodded, “They'll help you walk through the fog. ...Well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh...but I can only show you where the place is. You guys have to defend yourselves.”

Yosuke looked slightly frightened, “What happened to relying on you!? Th-there better not be any monsters, you understand!” He pulled out a couple of monkey wrenches, “We brought weapons, but they're mostly for show. We just got here! If it's so dangerous why don't you do something instead of relying on us?!”

“Uh uh. No way. I've got no muscles. Oh, oh, I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound!?” Teddie said. I poked him hard, and he flopped over, rolling on his back comically, “N-noooooooo!” He yelled, embarrassed and surprised.

“Is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame... We swore to find the culprit and this is all the backup we get?” Yosuke groaned.

“At least you have me,” Serah said proudly.

“Oh, may I ask something? Who's this Saki-Senpai person? Someone you know?” Teddie curiously asked.

“....That doesn't matter right now. Anyways, now we at least know that she might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let's get moving, Robert, Serah.” Serah and Yosuke turned to leave, and I did, too, before I remembered.

“W-waiiiiiiit!” Teddie yelled, and I helped him up.

Teddie led us to what looked like the shopping district. The sky was red and black, creating a very eerie atmosphere. The buildings looked wrong, but I couldn't place what was out of place.

“What is this place? It looks just like the shopping district...” Yosuke pointed out.

“Shopping district...?” Serah asked.

 

I turned to her, “We'll show you around Inaba later, alright?”

“What's going on here!?” Yosuke exclaimed.

Teddie sighed, “Some weird places have appeared here recently. Things are getting so tangled, I don't know what to do...”

Yosuke and I turned to Teddie, “Uh...by the way, why are you standing so far from us? ...You better not be planning to hightail it if something comes up.”

Teddie's eyes widened, “Of course not! I mean, uh. I can't stand too close you know. I might get in your way.”

“Man, they really went all out on this,” Yosuke observed, looking at how the shopping district was an exact carbon copy of the real one, “But out of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?”

Teddie nods, “This place is reality for the one who is sent here.”

“As usual, nothing you say makes any sense,” Yosuke concluded.

“Saki's parents run the liquor store here, right? Wouldn't it make sense her Shadow confront her here...?” I asked, reminding Yosuke.

The four of us ran down the street and quickly found the door to Saki's parents' store, now a portal of red and black.

“Intimidating. Do we really have to...” Serah started.

“I knew it! This is the liquor store that Senpai's parents run! Does this mean...Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened?” Yosuke asked.

“What a second, they're here! Shadows!” Teddie exclaimed, grabbing Serah's hand and fleeing to the side.

Like last time, those damn blue faces greeted us, falling onto the ground from the store. They formed those pink eye-tongue creatures once more and attacked us.

I stepped forward, club at the ready.

I heard Teddie speak from behind me, “Stay calm and listen! Some Shadows have weaknesses. If you can pinpoint that weakness, and take advantage of it, the battle will be a lot easier!. I can tell this one has a weakness, too! Try stuff out and see what works!” Teddie stepped back.

I summoned Izanagi and sent an electric bolt towards the left hablerie, killing it instantly. The other moved back, fearing me. I waved my hand, causing another bolt to strike the second hablerie. Both defeated in a single blow, and I hadn't broken a sweat. Pfft, pitiful. I wanted a challenge.

“Every time, it still amazes me,” Yosuke said, still surprised, “Hey, you think I could do it, too?”

“Calm down, Yosuke. You're troubling Sensei!” Teddie said.

“S-sensei?” Yosuke said, confused.

Teddie gazed up at me, eyes shining, “Gosh almighty! You're amazing, Sensei! I am one impressed bear! I can't believe you were hiding such an amazing power! No wonder the Shadows were scared of you!” He gasps, “Are you the one who's able to bring people into this world!?” I nodded, “Hah! That's what I thought! This is really something. Don't you think so, Yosuke?”

Yosuke pushed Teddie back, who somehow flopped up, perfectly fine, “Dude, you call him Sensei and then don't show me any respect!?”

“Sorry...” Teddie sounded offended.

“W-well, your support wasn't bad though. I gotta give you some credit for that.” Yosuke admitted.

“Huh? R-really....? Heehee..”Teddie blushed.

Yosuke patted me on the back, “Alright, you two keep it up, and I think we'll be fine from here on out. Now let's get back to the investigation!” He turned to the store, “Man, I wonder what could have happened to Senpai here.”

Voices emanated from nowhere, “I wish Junes would go under...”

“It's all because of that store...”

“W-what the...?” Yosuke spoke, caught off guard by the ghostly comments.

“Oh, I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there.”

“Oh my... How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is...”

“I heard their sales are going downhill because of Junes.”

“S-stop it...” Yosuke pleaded.

“That poor father...to have his own daughter working for the enemy.”

“What a troublesome child.”

“Hey, hey, Ted!” Yosuke grabbed Teddie closer, “You said this place is reality for those that are here, right?! So, does that mean this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here...!?”

“I...only know about what's over here.” Teddie honestly answered.

“Fine...” Yosuke's resolve intensified, “Whatever's going on here, we'll find out for ourselves!”

The four of us entered the store. I noticed Serah did so reluctantly.

“Dammit, not again...” Yosuke referred to a new ghostly voice, much more prominent than any other beforehand.

“Saki, how many times do I have to tell you!? You what the neighbors say about you, right!? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work THERE of all places!”

Yosuke's grim look returned, “I...I can't believe this... She seemed like she had fun at work...She never said anything like this to me... You're telling me THIS was how Senpai really saw things!?”

Yosuke, Serah and I walked up to the counter. Numerous photos were cut up, including a ticket to a movie Yosuke had talked about getting them, “These photos...Hey...Is this...? It's the photo we took the other day with the other part-timers at Junes.... Why's it cut up like this...?”

Saki Konishi was pictured smiling widely, standing next to Yosuke.

“I....never had the chance to say it...” Saki's voice rang out over us, “I always wanted to tell Hana-chan...”

Yosuke's eyes glazed over, “Huh..? Me...?

“...that he was a real pain in the ass. I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all... But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic. What a dip...” Saki's harsh words flowed through our ears.

“....P-pain in the ass...” Yosuke sounded emotionally broken at this point.

“Who cares about Junes, anyway? Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, our neighbors talk behind my back... I wish everything would just disappear...” Saki continued.

Yosuke withdrew into denial, “It's a lie....This can't be...Senpai's not like that!”

“It's...” Someone spoke like Yosuke, but an eerie and familiar tone pierced the voice as they faked a sniffle, “so sad....I feel so sorry for myself. Boo hoo...” Yosuke, Serah, and I turned to meet another Yosuke. He looked exactly like Yosuke, a blue aura about him. His eyes were that horrific golden hue however.

“Just...like...the announcer....” I trailed off, in horror.

“Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass. Hahaha...” The other Yosuke spoke.

“Huh!? Two Yosukes!?” Teddie said, mouth agape.

Serah stepped back, tripping over a container of liquor and falling into a stack of barrels.

“Who are you!?” Yosuke said, shocked out of his grief, “I wouldn't think that...”

“Hahaha....Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself? Screw the shopping district, and Junes, too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!” Yosuke's Shadow explained.

“What're you saying? That's not true, I...”

Shadow Yosuke interrupted him, “You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky, because you're so terrified of being alone. The more the merrier, right? You gotta be surrounded by people to block out the pain of isolation. And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-Senpai's sake? I know the real reason you came snooping.”

Yosuke winced, “Stop it!”

“Hahaha! Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe...I DO know everything you're thinking! Why's that? Because I AM you! You just came because it sounded like a good time! What else is there to do out in this shithole? A world inside the TV—now that's exciting! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?”

“That's not true....Stop...Stop it!”

Shadow Yosuke waved his arm like Yosuke did when angered, “You're just trying to act like a big shot. If all went well, hey, maybe you could even be a hero! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!”

“That's not true!! What are you!? Who are you!?”

Shadow Yosuke merely chuckled, “I already told ya. I'm you...Your Shadow. There's nothing I don't know about you...”

“Screw that! I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!!”

Shadow Yosuke laughed loudly, maniacally, “That's right, say it again!”

“You're not me....You're nothing like me!” Yosuke yelled back.

Shadow Yosuke laughed, “Yeah, you're right. I'm my own self now!” Red aura swirled about him, and he transformed.

Shadow Yosuke destroyed the entire building we were in, knocking Serah, Teddie, and Yosuke aside. He was now a large, four-legged being. On top of what looked like a frog's back, was the top half of what looked like a man dressed as a ninja. He had comically oversized yellow gloves, and shurikens for eyes. The face of the frog-like being was grinning maliciously, with sinister red eyes staring down at me.

“I am a shadow....the true self. I'll crush everything that bores me....Starting with you!” He pointed directly at me.

His power was far beyond Shadow Mayumi's. Even Teddie recognized this, “Watch out, Sensei! His power level is much higher than anything I've ever read before!”

He jumped into the air, sending a green wave of wind at me. I fell back. Izanagi's scream surprised me. He was weak to that attack, weak to wind. So my Persona had...weaknesses? Very well, then.

“How long can you survive this?” Shadow Yosuke gloated.

I stood up and summoned Izanagi, sending him to electrocute Shadow Yosuke. S. Yosuke screamed in rage, as he flopped onto his back, trying to get out from under the frog. Seizing the opportunity, I struck with lightning again.

After getting back up, Yosuke's shadow slapped me into the nearby studio equipment. I fell to the ground before unleashing Izanagi to strike the shadow with more lightning strikes.

The shadow got up once more, much more resilient than I expected. He covered himself with both pairs of hands, and Teddie yelled, “He's guarding his weak point!”

I shrugged, and ran up, hitting him with my golf club. He jumped back and knocked me down with his wind. “What a frickin' pain in the ass!” He slapped me again, but I fell onto the floor and rolled.

I stood up quickly and yelled at Yosuke, “I know, you don't like it. But you have to be brave! He may be a negative side of you, but he is part of you! You're more than him, but you have to accept it!”

“I...I can't!” Yosuke yelled. I ran over and punched him in the face, just as Izanagi struck his Shadow with a fatal strike of lightning. The red mist evaporated, and the Shadow crumpled before us.

“I...I...” Yosuke tried to speak as he stood up.

“Yosuke, are you okay!?” Teddie asked, concerned.

“Y-yeah...What...happened...?” He turned to his now weakened Shadow, “You...You're....not me...”

Teddie interrupted, “Yosuke, you have to accept it or it'll just go berserk again.”

“You can do it, Yosuke. I believe in you, partner,” I pleaded.

“Dammit...It hurts to face yourself...” He walked up to his Shadow, “I knew it wasn't lying...But I was so ashamed I didn't want to admit it.. You're me, and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me.”

Shadow Yosuke nodded and faded away, before another Arcana card flew before Yosuke, transforming into a ninja-like frog, similar to the Shadow's second form. Except now, it was his Persona. Jiraiya.

Yosuke stood in awe, “This is my Persona...” He turned to Teddie and I, “When we heard Senpai's voice... I wonder if it was something Senpai had been keeping down inside... Haha... He was a real pain in the ass, huh?” what a way to find out...Geez, this is embarrassing. If you weren't here, I don't know what woulda happened....Thanks, Robert.”

Teddie walked over to Yosuke, who looked at him, “Hey, Teddie? Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?”

“I think so. The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk... And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others from it. And the big mass of Shadows kills the host.” Teddie theorized.

“So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world...” Yosuke said, sounding enlightened.

Teddie sighs, “Yosuke's pretty worn out... This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices. I think we're done with this place. Let's go back.”

“Without....saying....goodbye....?” The three of us turned to see Saki. No, not Saki. Shadow Saki. She stood there, menacingly. Her eyes were that creepy, golden hue, “Yosuke, did I hear...your Shadow right? Hm? You came here for fun? Not to help find my killer...?”

Yosuke ran up to her, “No, Saki, I came for you! Maybe not just you, but you are why I'm here!”

Shadow Saki was soon surrounded by red mist, “Lying scum! I'll kill you, like I did myself!”

She transformed into a monstrous, somewhat skeletal form. Her top half grew as skeletal ribs split out from her stomach, lifting her ten feet into the sky, “I'm death incarnate. Just like Junes killed the shopping district. Like I was killed. Like my death killed my family's happiness. All I did, in the end, was kill. You guys...are next. Starting with you....Yosuke. FIGHT ME!” Saki's shadow roared, and

Yosuke summoned Jiraiya. Pulling his wrenches out, he stepped forward, “Fine....if this is how it...has to be...”

I ran to help, when I heard another voice, “Help!” I heard Serah shout.

“Teddie, back up Yosuke! I think Serah's under attack by Shadows!” I ran past them down the street, until I found Serah, in the hands of her look alike. Her shadow tossed her into the building. The Shadow looked at me and kicked me. I flew into one of the buildings, breaking through the side of the building and slamming into the floor. I slowly got up and opened the door, flopping out.

Shadow Serah walked towards her original self, “I'm just a robot. A tool. I'll never find love. A place to belong. I'm just an empty machine. I didn't come here because I wanted a normal life. I came because I knew it was a trap. An excuse for Kirijo to use me. I don't have any friends. I never will. I'm just an Android built to slay Shadows. Nothing more...”

Serah shouted, “Get away from me!” She got up and ran from the Shadow, “You're not me, damn you!”

Shadow Serah laughed maniacally, as she transformed. In another explosion of red mist, she grew armor. She mounted herself on a chariot, like the ones from Ancient Rome. Two dark, demonic, black steed lead the chariot towards Serah. I summoned Izanagi and sent a bolt of lightning through the back wheel, causing it to stagger and trip. The horses fell in towards each other, but the rider leapt off, spear in hand. She was ten feet tall, with golden armor, the face of a Shadow on either side of her breastplate.  
“You insolent maggot!” She leapt at me, kicking me in the chin, sending me into the air. She shoved her spear through me, causing me to scream as the spiritual blade pierced me. Ice and fire began striking my body from her free hand, and she laughed sadistically.

“Serah.....H-.....Just....go! Get Yosuke and Teddie to safety! I can fight her alone!” I swung my club into her face, knocking her back, but she tightened her grip on me and slammed me into the dirt.

I saw Yosuke knock Shadow Saki high into the sky before piercing her in two with a blade of high-powered wind. I hoped he might have time to help me.

Shadow Serah stomped me into the concrete before running after Serah. She picked her up and threw her through a building, causing her to collapse just across from me. I crawled over to her, noticing I was bleeding onto the ground. Whether weapons didn't have a normal effect here or whether I had transcended dying so pitifully, I couldn't comprehend. I noticed she was still breathing, “H......She.....really is....an.....Android.....” I barely stood up, looking at the gladiator Shadow headed towards me.

Serah opened her eyes and she looked at me, “Pl.....please......Help. You're....the only person I can rely on....”

I heard a mysterious voice speak inside my head, “Thou hast forged a new Social Link. Thou can now summon Personas of the Fool Arcana....Fool 22.....”

Before I could question what it meant, Izanagi faded as a new Persona took his place. A being with a metal body and an organic head, stared down at me with red eyes. His white hair was matching the giant lyre on his back. Orpheus.

I turned to Shadow Serah. She was preparing what looked to be a devastating attack of ice. She aimed at me, but a blast of wind hit her, sending her forward, dropping the powerful energy onto herself. She froze. And I took this chance, “Orpheus, AGI!”

Orpheus sent a powerful ball of fire towards Shadow Serah, causing her to partially melt as the explosion racked her entirely. The original form of Shadow Serah collapsed to the floor.

I passed out, but I awoke only a few minutes later. Serah was holding me, nearly in tears, and Yosuke and Teddie were both shocked, worried I might actually have died. Serah healed me with her new Persona she called Athena.

Eventually, the four of us got back to where we had entered the TV world at, “Hey, Teddie. You said that this place is reality for the people who enter, right? So that shopping district, and the weird room we saw before... Did they exist because the ones who died entered the world, and it became their reality? I guess, what I'm trying to ask is...Did those places form because of the people who entered this world?”

Teddie shrugged, “I don't know. It's never happened before...But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them. The fog does lift here, sometimes. The Shadows get really violent, then. I always get so scared, I have to hide when it happens... I sensed people twice here before. But both of them disappeared after the fog lifted.”

“So let's get this straight... Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them. Does that sound right...? So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I woulda been in much deeper trouble?” Yosuke began working through what information we had.

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure. You were lucky. Sensei and me were here with you.” Teddie said, proud of our contributions.

“I think Teddie and I are just as lucky that you and Serah were here.” I said, grateful they saved us.

“If we hadn't gone with you, there would have been no danger at all...” Serah said, sounding downtrodden.

“Dammit...! Senpai and that announcer... They were stuck here all alone... No one could save them...” Yosuke sounded even more troubled.

“Yosuke...They disappeared when the fog lifted. But they were safe before that, No Shadows attacked them. They attacked us, though... Maybe they're keeping a close eye on us. They might see people who try to investigate as enemies... It'll be dangerous, but we might be able to fight them! We might save people!” Teddie said, sounding triumphant.

“Are you saying, if anyone else gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear!? Like how you guys just saved me!? And how we saved Serah!?” Yosuke was almost smiling at the thought of being able to help.

“We wouldn't know exactly for sure until we try. Teddie would have to locate them, and we'd have to keep training. Each Shadow seems to be significantly stronger. Which means training here, fighting Shadows.” I explained.

Yosuke nodded, “Anyways... We need to catch the one who's throwing people in here and make him stop! Yeah... I'm finally starting to understand what's going on.”

Teddie raised his hand, “U-um... Can I ask something, too? If Shadows are born from humans, what was Teddie born from?”

“You don't even know where you came from!? How should we know?” Yosuke “thoughtfully” replied.

“I know some things,” Teddie sounded sullen, “Mostly about this world... But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now...”

“Are you serious...?” Yosuke mused, “No wonder we couldn't get a straight answer out of you...”

Teddie raised his hand towards us, “Will you guys... come back here...?”

“Of course. We made a promise,” I said, shaking his hand.

“You'll...keep your word?” Teddie sounded confused but joyful.

Yosuke agreed, “Well, you're the one who said you weren't letting us out unless we do.”

Teddie's eyes widened, “Oh! Th-that's right! Okay, I'll let you out. But there's one thing. I'll be waiting for you guys here. You need to come in from the same place every time, so we can meet up. I mean, you could come in here from somewhere else. But then you won't end up here. You might show up somewhere I couldn't get to you. Then you'd be dooooomed... Got it!?”

“Well, pretty much... Alright, can you show us the way out?” Yosuke answered back.

Teddie nodded, “Roger that! One exit comin' right up!”

Ted tapped his feet, and the three stacked TVs appeared. Yosuke and I stepped closer, “Cool... First we need to make sure there aren't any employees milling around out there...” Yosuke started.

Before we could do anything, Teddie shoved Serah, Yosuke, and I back through the television sets.

The three of us landed in front of Chie, who looked at us in such shock and surprise that she couldn't utter a word. “Uh....Y-you guys came baaack...!”

Yosuke smirked, “Of course we did! Huh? Chie? Whoa, what's with that face?”

Chie picked up the rope and slammed it into Yosuke's chest, sending him to the floor, “Damn...” Serah said aloud behind us.

“Ow!” Yosuke managed to squeak out.

“The nerve of you guys! You are such morons! I can't believe this! You guys suck!” She waved her arms at us, conflicted. Was she more pissed or frightened was impossible for any of us, even Chie herself, to determine, “The rope got cut off... I had no idea what to do... I was so worried... I mean scared stiff, dammit! I hate you both!”

Chie ran off in a fit of rage and fear.

Yosuke stood up and folded his arms, “I... I think that mighta kinda sorta been our fault.”

“Seriously, guys. Make it up to her or somethin'. What does she like?” Serah said, trying to plan a better apology than whatever I or Yosuke would have come up with.

“Meat!” Yosuke exclaimed, “I know what to get! Come on!” Yosuke dragged us off to the dairy section.

After shopping for some choice meat, we parted ways. Serah asked me to show her around, and I promised later I would. I had to run home through the rain.

Eventually, I got to Samegawa, and the rain slowed. My umbrella was protecting me for the most part, but the wind was almost unbearable.

I noticed someone in a pink kimono sitting at the small sitting area along the riverbed. Next to them was a folded red umbrella.

“Hm...?”

It turned out to be Yukiko. I walked over and sat next to her, “Hey, Yukiko. I uh...Nice kimono?”

“Oh... Are you surprised to see me dressed this way? My parents sent me out on an errand... Um... Are you getting used to your new town and school?” It was clear Yukiko was trying hard to keep a conversation going. Truth be told, we had interacted very little due to her inn's recent issues.

“Yeah, I think so. I like it here,” I said.

“Really...? But... It must be difficult moving to a place you know nothing about. I've never been out of Inaba, so I wouldn't know what it's like to transfer to a new school... Oh! Are you getting along with Chie? I mean, I always leave early, so umm...” Yukiko was at least trying to find common ground.

“Yeah, I think so. I'd hope so, anyway. I could use a good friend, is all.” I honestly answered.

“I'm glad to hear that...” Yukiko smiled, “Chie's very supportive, you know. It's always her who gives me the little extra push I need. We had homeroom together last year, too, and I still remember how we cut class sometimes,” She noticed the time on her watch, just under her left kimono sleeve, “Oh... I should get going. I need to make tomorrow's arrangements with our head chef. Our inn can't function without me right now.” Yukiko stood up, “Um... I'll see you at school, then.”

I nodded, “Have a nice day...Oh, before I forget, did you hear about the assembly?”

“Assembly?” She had no idea.

“After lunch, we had an assembly. Chie mentioned she was hoping you'd show, and then the principal spoke. Saki Konishi, the Senior. She was...Well, she's not alive anymore. Yosuke took the news pretty hard, if he seems any different. I'd avoid mentioning it.” Yukiko's expression darkened. “On a lighter note, we got a new student. Serah. She knows my dad somehow, has the same last name as me. She swore we weren't related or anything, though.”

Yukiko nodded, “Uh, thanks for telling me. That's hard to believe...Inaba was always such a quiet town...”

That night, I sat with Nanako alone at the living room table, “Dad's late...” She said, sounding somewhat sad.

“Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. At around 7:00 A.M., local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area. Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konishi was the one who discovered that body... Police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 A.M. Last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area,” The announcer broke the news about Saki to the public.

“Another incident...” Nanako said, sounding the same as before. “Dad won't be coming home tonight.”

“I'll be here,” I assured her.

Nanako nodded, “I'll be okay. Can you help me do some stuff around the house?” I nodded.

A narrator came on, “Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark. Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs. After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes.”

Yukiko came up on the news, wearing what I had seen her wear today. It looked as if they interviewed her just before I saw her, in fact. It was before the rain had begun.

“In other words, she's a manager still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it... Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!” The reporter walked over to her.

“Hm...? Um... Are you speaking to me?”

“We've heard that you're the new manager! Is it true you're still in high school?” The reporter asked.

“Oh, well. I'm only filling in temporarily.” Yukiko explained.

“Someday, though... That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have had a lot of male visitors.” God, why is this news?

“Huh? No, um...” Yukiko's response was to no avail as the reporter rambled further and further, essentially sounding like a total creep. Damn, I felt bad for how much Yukiko must get this “attention”.

Instead of watching that garbage, I helped Nanako finish some housework.

That midnight, I sat on my couch and awaited the channel of midnight. As the clock struck twelve, the TV turned on, and I saw a very blurred figure of someone. Apparently, as long as it was midnight and raining, one could view the Midnight Channel as much as desired. The image was absolutely out of focus, but I could tell it was a female wearing a kimono. For a second, Yukiko's face popped into my mind, but I shoved that thought away.

I put my hand through the TV, wondering what would happen. The image merely faded away. I sighed and went to bed.

Damn it... I thought to myself as the Velvet Room came into my view.

“Welcome,” Igor greeted me, smiling that eerie smile of his, “Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world.”

“Thanks, doc.” I said, somewhat exhausted from all that had happened today.

“I have summoned you within your dreams. And so we meet again.” Igor continued.

Margaret explained, “This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contract may enter...” My mind flashed a vision of my promise to Teddie, “In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice... thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power.”

“Hold on to this...” A small, blue key flashed before me, fading into my pocket, “From this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room.”

“This Velvet Room? There are more than one?” I asked.

Margaret nodded, “The room's interior changes to match the destiny and uniqueness of the guest.”

“Your destiny will require you to hone your power, and for that, you will inevitably require our help. There is but one price for this assistance... You must abide by your contract, and assume all responsibility for all decisions you may make.” Igor spoke, captivating me with his mannerisms.

“I understand. Yeah, I get it. Don't break your promises, er, contracts.” I answered.

“Very well. The Persona you have acquired... It is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as... a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the Wild Card. Evident by your use of Orpheus. Very interesting, considering our last guests. Perhaps your fates will be intertwined at a later date... Compared to that of others, the wild card power is very special. It is like the number zero... Empty, yet holding within itself infinite potential.” Igor smiled at me.

“Empty? Empty, but infinite potential!?” I was very clearly confused by his wording.

Igor nodded, “The Persona's ability is the power to control one's heart... And the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own “Social Links” will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities.”

“Control one's heart...?” I was still confused.

“Social Links are capable of far more than just strengthening Personas. At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for.” Margaret followed up.

“Social Links...So let me guess. Like Shadows and Persona, they are matched by Arcana, right? I may have made one, because I heard a voice in my head before I summoned Orpheus.” I asked.

Margaret nodded, opening her book. One page said, “Fool Twenty-Two.” “Indeed,” Margaret spoke eloquently, “You formed a bond with Serah. Very rare, actually. She also has the Wild Card. We would speak with her tonight as well. Her journey is much like yours, with slight alterations. We are curious how much your fates are intertwined. Only one other person has ever represented the Fool at the end of the Arcana, and been invited to this room. Social Links will grow over time as you grow closer. What would occur then is up to you... I wonder if your love life will be as complicated as our last guest's...Perhaps you may even....Ah, but I won't spoil.”

“Where will your awakened power of the wild card take you? I look forward of traveling the road of your destiny together...” Igor chuckled, “'Til we meet again.” He folded his hands together, and a bright light overtook me. Back to normal sleep. Thank goodness.


	7. April 16th, 2011

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning of the events of the last three major Persona incidents, the group commits to protecting Yukiko if she is in the sights of the serial killer. Meanwhile, Serah is confronted by an old foe, and realizes her problems have only just begun...

April 16th, 2011

I awoke and noticed my cell phone vibrating on the night stand. I picked it up, and realized it was Serah. She had registered me as a contact yesterday, in case she wanted to meet, “Hey, I want you to get Yosuke and Chie later. I've got information on Shadows, where they come from. Information you won't find anywhere else. Top security, ultra confidential files.”

“Would it be legal for you to disclose those to us?” I asked.

She chuckled, “No, of course not. But would the police ever know?”

“Secretly a bad girl, are we? Alright, meet you after school,” I told her, and she agreed and hung up. I folded my phone away and quickly got dressed.

Eventually, I made it to the Samegawa Riverbank. I noticed quite a few other students walking this way and thought about why I may have not noticed them before.

“Yo!” Yosuke's voice came from behind, and I turned to see him riding his trademark yellow bike up to me.

“Yosuke, you're out of your way, aren't you?” I asked, as Yosuke's house was not from the direction I walked from.

“You saw what was on last night, right? I couldn't tell who it was, but if someone's shown up on TV, we can't ignore it. Let's go check it out after school. Maybe Teddie can tell us something,” Yosuke reasoned.

I nodded, “Serah wants to speak with us after school, so we should talk to her first. Sounded important. Then we go ask Teddie.”

Yosuke looked to the ground, “If it turns out someone was thrown in again, there might really be a culprit behind all this. Even if it is something about that place that's killing the victims... If someone's using that world as a weapon, that's unforgivable. We need to find the culprit... no matter what it takes!”

Yosuke said it with such determination, such fervor, “There's no way the police can do it... Who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing people into the TV?”

I had already accepted this, “It has to be us. We have to be the ones to bring an end to this. Besides, we have to keep our word, don't we?”

Yosuke seemed surprised that I was agreeing, and he smiled, “Totally! A promise is a promise,” A realization passed through his mind, judging by his facial expression, “You know, I tried sticking my head into the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked. I think I can do that now because I have the same power... Persona, wasn't it? Could be that we got this gift specifically from someone to solve the case. Then again, you managed to go inside the TV and get your Persona first... I feel like, as long as you're with me, I can catch the culprit and crack this case. ...Well, let's do our best!”

He extended his hand, and I shook it, sharing with him a determined glance in this decidedly important moment. A voice echoed through my brain, “Thou art I... And I am thou... Thou hast established a new bond... Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana.” 

A small, flying girl, a pixie, appeared in my mind, and I decided that she was my newest Persona. I had no idea how many Personas were attuned to each Arcana. In theory, the number could be infinite, but it was much more likely to be finite, as it seemed only certain Persona users could summon certain ones. How strong social links could become or how many Personas would emerge from said bond, I had no clue.

“As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links will determine your Persona's abilities.” Igor's words rang out through my head.

Yosuke and I walked to school alongside his bike, talking. We eventually made it to my desk, and as I sat, we discussed more casual things in the crowded setting. The noise produced by other students was almost deafening, and we only barely noticed when Chie came into the room, looking quite worried.

Yosuke noticed her, “Uh...Chie! Um... About yesterday... We're sorry we worried you...”

Chie shrugged off his apology, “Never mind that. Is Yukiko still not here?”

“Huh? Y-Yukiko-san? Uh... No...? At least, I haven't seen her today,” Yosuke replied.

“Oh man... What should I do...? Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real? You know... All that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world,” Chie tensed up as she said this.

“Oh, we were just talking about that. We're thinking of checking it out later--” Before Yosuke could finish, Chie interrupted him.

“The person on TV yesterday... I think it was Yukiko. That kimono looked like the one she wears at the inn, and she wore it during the interview a few days ago, too. I got worried, so I emailed her last night, but she hasn't responded. I called her earlier in the evening though, and she said she would be at school today... I-I...”

“Calm down. We get the picture. And you still haven't heard from her?”

“No...” Chie replied.

Seeing how distraught she was, I explained what happened yesterday in her absence.

“What's that supposed to mean...? Wait, are you saying...Yukiko was thrown in there!?” Chie said, sounding frightened.

“We don't know yet for sure. We should check to see if she's safe first. Give her another call.”

Chie took out her cell phone and called, “No good. Her voicemail picked up... S-she's not answering...”

“Are you serious...? Then is Yukiko-san inside that place?”

“S-stop it! Something must've come up, like an errand or something... Oh, or she might be helping at the inn... She wouldn't be able to answer her cell if that's it...”

“Yeah, but would she skip school for that?”

“W-well, I'll give the inn a call... Umm... I've got the number here somewhere...” She dials another number and calls the inn, “C'mon, Yukiko... Pick up...Oh, is this Yukiko!? Thank god she's there! Uh-huh....Uh-huh...I see. Ah, uh. Nah, it was nothing. I'll email you again later.”

Chie hangs up the phone and sighs, “Well?” I asked.

“She was over at the inn. She said they had a big group reservation and she had to help out. Yeah... Now that I think about, this has happened before, too. At least once a year. She said she'll be at the inn tomorrow, too. Oh, for crying out loud, Yosuke! You got me worried over nothing! She was totally fine! And you were all, 'Is Yukiko-san inside that place'? Hmph!” Chie scolded him.

“S-sorry... But there is a reason we thought that,” Yosuke tried to explain further.

“Oh yeah...? What?” Chie asked.

“Well... we thought people show up on the Midnight Channel because they’re already over in that world. I mean, it makes sense, right? I mean, people show up on TV because they're inside the TV. But Yukiko-san's still in our world. We might wanna see what this is about. Alright, let's meet up at Junes after school.”

Serah never let us get that far. She grabbed the three of us and drug us to the roof after the final bell rang, clearly intent on forcing us to listen to her story first.

“The reason I need to talk to you guys is because I know...where Shadows come from,” Serah announced.

“Wait, what!?” Yosuke exclaimed, holding a small Tanaka Bucks coffee cup. I was surprised as well, but I held in my shock.

“The things that attacked us all in that TV world. I actually checked my data banks last night, and found lots of information stored. Most of it is related to the creation of my elder counterparts, but the information is only second to those who experienced it firsthand,” Serah explained, “Four fantastic events happened in the last fifteen years or so. Each one had groups of Persona-Users on two different sides, fighting for some goal. In fact, the true power of Persona users was limited by these battles.”

“What do you mean?” Chie asked. Even though we explained in detail what went on, it's hard to swallow a pill like that without seeing it firsthand.

“Robert could swap Personas. As a member of the Fool Arcana, he can do that. In theory, I can as well. Yosuke however, is not, and thus he can't have multiple Personae. But in the past, you could. Before Shadows existed, there were two worlds. The Human Realm and the Demon Realm. Many Personas were once demons. Demons didn't attack humans for the most part, but when they did, it was sensational news. 

Back when the Nanjo Group was the leading power, they began experimenting with Androids that could harness demon power. Similar to Personas. The first group failed miserably, as they were entirely flawed and robotic, and unable to wield Personas due to not being human. The master of the Nanjo group was killed. Kei Nanjo became the Heir apparent, and the Kirijo Group, under Kouetsu Kirijo, an arrogant tyrant of a man, stole the research and left with it. Not long after, a game came about. The “Persona” game. Playing this game actually unlocked the powers of Persona. Back then, there were three Persona deities, if you will. Philemon represented heroism and the light, and he gathered Kei Nanjo, Masao Inaba, Maki Sonomura, Yukino Mayuzumi, Eriko Kirishima, Yuka Ayase, Hidehiko Uesugi, Reiji Kido, and another. His name is not listed in my data banks for whatever reason.

They fought against a man, Takahisa Kandori, Leader of the infamous SEBEC corporation. He created the DEVA system and formed a new parallel universe. This third world was one like our own, but demons were left unrestrained. The Night Queen, Nyx, also tried to get her hands on a mystical artifact, but she and Kandori were both defeated by Philemon's forces. Igor, the Persona 'deity' of Neutrality, who aided both those evil and good in perfecting their power, was most certainly impressed. Back then, he catered to all users, not just those of the 'Wild Card'. Eventually, they defeated the evil in Maki's heart, Pandora, and saved all the worlds from destruction. This came at a price. Their world was restored, but that other world was left existing.

Nyarlathotep, the evil Persona Deity, used this world to experiment on what would later become Shadows. Kandori's research on mass producing Persona users, meanwhile, was taken by Kouetsu when the Kirijo Group overtook SEBEC in a bid for power. It was then the second Gen, the first Anti-Demon Aggression Weapons were created. This time, they were made to look much more human, even with working, biological brains. The lack of emotions lead to a series of issues, ranging from the inability to using Personas effectively to letting hundreds to thousands die for a statistical advantage in a fight.

This could be considered the First Great Persona War. Users on both sides died in this legendary conflict, as people good, bad, and undecided fought demons and fellow users alike. Nyarlathotep decided to foster this once more. Since Kandori failed, he instead created JOKER. This led to the Innocent Sin incident. Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, the returning Yukino Mayuzumi, Lisa Silverman, Eikichi Mishina, and eventually the Joker himself, Jun Kurosu. They fought against Nyarlathotep, but the entire world was destroyed, except for Sumaru City. After defeating Hitler and his Last Battalion-”

“Wait, what!? Hitler!?” Yosuke exclaimed.

“Nyarlathotep made it so rumors that spread enough became true. Anything. He tried to use Hitler and a false Persona-wielding Nazi Battalion to win the fight. They lost. The victors sacrificed all of their memories and 'reset' the world.

My data on this is fuzzy at best, but it lead to the Eternal Punishment incident, which is the second half of the Second Great Persona War. Nyarlathotep perfected the Shadows. Tatsuya's group first encountered them and managed to defeat them all. The new group had a tougher time. Maya Amano and Tatsuya Suou were once again reunited, and they were joined by Kei Nanjo and Eriko Kirishima. They were joined by Tatsuya's older brother, Detective Katsuya Suou. Ulala Serizawa and Baofu aided them. After a long journey facing both their Shadows, artificially created through rumors, they finished Nyarlathotep off once and for all. Philemon was also lost in the fight, and only Igor remained. The demon world became unstable and Shadows of the demons slew many. The remaining demons exchanged great power with Igor so he would build for them a new realm. The demon realm dissolved and the newly created Persona-demons and Shadows came together in a new world. The old world from the original, created by Kandori. What may now very well be the TV world.”

“Woah, you think the TV world and that world are the same?” I asked, concerned with the statement.

“I do. Demons were no more, and Shadows were created. Then came the fourth event, the Last Great Persona War. The battle between Strega and Kirijo,” Serah finished her story.

“And I know what happened from there,” I said, “My dad was one of the workers for the great experiment that douche Kouetsu had going on. Time travel turned cause the apocalypse. Kouetsu may have been replaced by his own Shadow self, in a sense. They summoned the Night Queen, Nyx, who was again crushed in battle by the new Persona group. Just a year and a half or so ago. Strega was reformed and no new Persona users had supposedly arisen since then. My dad told me the older stories as fairy tales, but I never suspected them to be true. But when I met Serah, and she was the 8th Generation Shadow Slayer, I knew my dad knew more. So I called him. He told me something about how Nyx fell, but he refused to tell me anything more and demanded I stop asking him about such trivial things. I didn't tell him about you, Serah. He might come here to meet you, and that could get him fired.”

Serah nods, “I understand. The reason I'm telling you all this is so it's an even field. We all have the same knowledge, and that is the best I can do. I know it doesn't particularly help explain why the Midnight Channel exists or who the killer is, but you have some general knowledge of your forebears. That is all I can do as of now. I can try and find more data banks from the Kirijo Organization. If I could locate Genesis, he may even have much more to share. If we can't find this killer through his actions, maybe we can find a way to detect Persona users.”

“You think the killer's a Persona user?” Yosuke questioned the thought.

“How else would he have the power to throw people into televisions? Robert did it, and he has one. You and I can do it now, and we have ones. The killer is definitely able to wield one. All the greatest battles in the world started with two sides of Persona users dueling it out to the death,” Serah reminded him.

I nodded, “Alright, Serah. If you can gather anything new or concrete, be sure to let us know. Yosuke wanted to head to Junes, so we'll be going. Don't stay out too late.”

Yosuke whispered to me, “Just asking. She's like, a cyborg/android hybrid, right?” I nodded, “So can she, uh....You know, like....”

I turned to Serah, “Yosuke wants to know if he can mate with you.”

Yosuke's grip tightened, causing his coffee to explode onto the floor, “Dude, that is not how to ask that!”

I chuckled, “So you admit that was the question?”

Serah answered, “Theoretically speaking, despite my now minor enhancements due to the mechanization of the muscles in my body, I am still able to procreate. This information is just the facts. It doesn't mean anything beyond that. I still have all the emotions of a human being, and thus, all the issues and insecurities that come with it.”

Chie and Yosuke said their farewells and headed downstairs. I followed, but Serah stopped me, “Thanks for getting them to show up.”

“Uh, no problem. I think they like you,” I replied.

“From what he asked you, he doesn't just like me,” Serah whispered.

“I'm sure he was just curious, is all,” I assured her, “I mean, I was wondering, too. Not like that, but... You eat, sleep, drink, and act perfectly human. It just confuses me that your Shadow was so sickened by the fact you aren't one hundred percent biological.”

Serah nods, “Ah. It's not particularly that I hate being this way. I just feel less of a human.”

I nodded in refusal, “You may not have been born naturally, but you have every right that comes along with sentience, and with being a good person like you have proven yourself to be. If anything, you're more than the average human, and that should count for something,” I patted her on the shoulder and walked downstairs, leaving her to her thoughts.

Eventually, we reached Junes, and we went to the electronics department to consult Teddie.

“O-okay, I think that's more than enough about my sorry escapades,” Yosuke motioned for me to stop detailing his fails.

“If I hadn't seen the place first hand... I'd never have believed a story like that,” Chie said, still surprised by the details.

“Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, we need to know what's going on inside--” Yosuke looked around, noticing the electronics department was filled with people.

Chie asked, “How? By talking to that Teddie guy?”

Yosuke agreed, “Yeah. Too bad there's so many customers around... I forgot there's a sale in the electronics department today... I got it! C'mere a sec!” Yosuke stands on the left side of the TV and motions for me, “Try sticking your hand in and calling him over. I bet that bear's somewhere around the entrance anyways. Hey, Chie, stand over here. Make a wall.”

Chie stood to my right and replied, “A wall?”

I motioned for Teddie, and the little bastard bit me. I pulled my hand back, almost squeaking in pain.

“W-what's wrong!?” Yosuke asked.

“Sh! Not so loud, you idiot! D-dude, is that a bite mark!? Are you okay?” Chie looked surprised.

“I think I'm going to die,” I said very bluntly.

“No, you're not. Sheesh, that stupid bear must have done it...” Chie said, “Hey, you! We know you're in there!”

Teddie's voice reverberated through the TV, causing circles of light to emit around the screen's center, “Ooh, ooh, is this a game?” Teddie's light-hearted voice rang out.

“No, it's not a game! Can you sense anyone inside there right now?” Yosuke demanded to know.

“Who's 'anyone'? I'm a lonely little bear like always. This land feels so bear-ren...” He chuckles at his own joke despite how sad it was.

“Shut it! So there's no one inside...? You're sure?” Chie sounded a bit annoyed.

“I-I'm not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!” Teddie answers.

Chie nods, somewhat worriedly, “I'm gonna go warn Yukiko anyway. Since she'll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'll go anywhere alone. But still...”

Yosuke nods, “Yeah. You'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?”

Chie smiles, “Sure, I'll go pick her up at her house.”

Yosuke turned to me, “Maybe we'll find out more on tonight's Midnight Channel. Let's all cross our fingers this is just a misunderstanding...” I nodded, “What;s your cell number? I'll call you when I watch it tonight.” We exchange cell phone numbers. Two whole contacts. Wow. Such friendship, “Alright, don't forget to watch tonight.”

-Meanwhile, in another part of town...-

Ryotaro's Point of View

I stood at the crossroads where Mayumi's body had been found. Saki's body wasn't even two miles away from the last body's location. Whoever did this was definitely the same guy. No fingerprints had been found on Mayumi's body, except for those of the police officers who observed the corpse. Adachi wasn't puking this time around, so at least the rookie learned to act like a real junior detective. I didn't dislike Adachi, but he never seemed well fit for the job. He was very meek and quiet, easily frightened, sickened, and silenced. He had no backbone. Then again, with how often he accidentally spilled information on potential crimes and suspects, maybe that's a good thing.

Adachi walked up to me, speak of the devil, “Looks like we've found all we're gonna find here. And we've still got nothing that directly points to a suspect...”

I nodded. The rain pattered on my black umbrella and his clear one, and I could tell by the way he looked at me how disheartened he was with this whole investigation. His first big case and it's unsolvable. “We don't even know if this is a homicide,” I replied, matter-of-factually. I had suspicions, but best not to tell him yet.

Adachi looked annoyed, “Well, what else could it be? There's no way a body could end up like that by accident!”

I sighed, “...I know.” I walked slightly down the street, looking at the crime scene one last time, “We haven't found the cause of death for the first vic, and now we've got a second one just like it... If this is a murder case, there's no doubt we're dealing with a single perp. But if that's true...What the hell is going on?”

Adachi reasoned, “You know, I thought at first this all spun out of that love triangle.”

A nice thought, but incorrect, “No. That singer--Misuzu Hiiragi—has a solid alibi. She was performing overseas and her phone records prove it. And remember, the only reason the scandal went public is because Hiiragi herself broke it to the media. No one would put themselves under suspicion that way if they had murder on their mind.”

Adachi acknowledged my deduction, “Got a point there...”

I continued, “Same with Taro Namatame, her husband. No matter how much we shake him down, nothing connects him to the murders. He's been working in the city for the past six months. Seems he was here recently because of the scandal but he was swamped with work back home at the time of the incident. There are eyewitnesses and other evidence placing him at his office the night Mayumi Yamano died. And we can't find anything that shows Yamano making contact with Namatame before or after her disappearance...”

Adachi added, “You hear Namatame's career has also been killed stone dead? He's been fired from his position as secretary. He's practically as much a victim as the Yamano girl.”

I agreed, “Yeah. I know. Then we have the second case, regarding Saki Konishi. She's the one who discovered Yamano's corpse... But I don't buy the killer shutting her up as a possible motive. She was killed well after she reported the body, and the culprit didn't hide her. It's like they were meant to be found. Clearly, she was killed to make a point. But I don't know why... The only other connection is that she attended the same school as the daughter of the inn where Miss Yamano was holed up. But that hardly points to a motive. Coincidences like that are common in a town as small as ours.”

Adachi smiled a bit, “Yeah... I heard about that angle on the news, too.”

I was shocked, “What!? Is the story about the inn out already?” I looked around, “Either way, all we can do now is keep investigating anyone involved with the victims... Our perp... It has to be someone in Inaba.”

“Oh? Is your detective's intuition at work?” I scowled at Adachi, who cringed.

-Dojima Residence-

Robert's POV

I managed to get inside right before the raining started getting heavier, and I was greeted by Nanako, “Welcome home!”

“Hey, Nanako. I assume your dad's still out?” She nodded, “Is there anything I can do to help around the house? I'm turning in early.”

Nanako looked at me, “You seem to always do that on rainy nights. The weather here isn't good for you?”

I nodded, “Yes, Nanako, exactly. I'm used to rain, but not this chilling. We're not even an hour within the coastline and it feels like I'm at a beach on a dark night.”

Nanako nods, “Everything's been done. You came home kinda late, so I already made dinner. Check the fridge.”

“Thank you, Nanako,” I took some rice balls out of the fridge and headed upstairs to prepare my futon.

-Jenaya's House-

Serah's POV

I was sitting in a chair in the living room. The fire from the fireplace kept the room a good 73 degrees. I was reading one of my textbooks. I had already ran through the others and I was now reading the last one from Classical Japanese Literature. I don't have a photographic memory, but most knowledge tends to stick with me. Even without being hooked up to some huge data bank machine, my natural abilities surpassed the average person, including memorization.

I thought about what I had said today. I had not told them all I knew. I hid key facts from them, ones that I deemed unnecessary or unimportant. Regardless, I now felt bad for not including them. Yosuke was an utter goofball, but he meant well. Saki's death changed him dramatically from how he first acted. He seems sharper now. More determined.

Chie wasn't the smartest member of our group, but she was certainly dedicated to Yukiko. She was very athletic, and had proven such when she outrun everyone on the field. She had a way about her. She was a tomboy, and it seemed like deep down, she may not truly like that label. Most of all, she was caring and considerate. She quickly warmed up to Robert and I, and I was thankful for that.

Robert. I don't know what to say about him. He makes me feel uneasy, and I hate having to rely on others. He never faced his Shadow, though. Is that because he's special in a good way? I am of the Fool Arcana, though a different number. I have the Wild Card. I had a Shadow. But he did not. What made us different? He seems pretty open, though. Doesn't act like he has complexes or insecurities. I have to get to know him better. If he is truly an open book, all's well and good. But if he's hiding something deep down, his Shadow may just be dormant.

Before I could muse on how to do such, I heard a creak in the house. Jenaya was in bed, and I heard the noise come from upstairs, “Hello?”

I got out of my chair and slowly ascended the twisting stairway, looking upstairs into the inky, black darkness. I flipped on the light switch, and I was greeted by an odd sight. A dog. Not just a normal dog, mind. It was a Shiba Inu. It wore what looked like a white shirt, a mechanical collar that shined with lights. The dog wore wings, and had a red armband on the left leg labeled S.E.E.S. He looked at Serah with his beautiful red eyes, “Boy? What are you doing in here, mutt?”

The dog walked up slowly, cautiously, a letter in his hand. Serah took it and opened the letter, “Dear Serah, it seems that the area we sent you to has readings of Shadows nearby. This was not expected, and I formally apologize. As compensation, we have sent you Koromaru. He is a well-behaved, highly intelligent dog, formerly the honorary mascot of SEES. There is sufficient food for him in the pantry, and more can be purchased from the pet store in the southern shopping district. We hope you and Koromaru make friends. He is only four and a half years old, and so he does really enjoy taking nightly walks. If anything awry happens, he should be able to protect you. Wish you well, your sister, Aigis.”

Koromaru howled as I finished reading the letter aloud, “Alright, boy, I'll get you food. Show me where they left the bowls.” Koromaru barked and the two of us headed downstairs. In the kitchen, I found two pristine stainless steel bowls, definitely for a larger dog. I checked the pantry and took out some of the expensive dog food designed for promoting active dogs to live longer. I filled the bowl and Koromaru went to town. I took a jug of water from the fridge and poured it into the bowl. Mineral-filled spring water, high class stuff.

As the floor behind her creaked, I turned to see Jenaya, face looking at the floor, hair covering her face, “Jenaya, um, I didn't mean to surprise you. This is Koroma.....” Jenaya looked up at me. She....She wasn't human any longer. Her face was a sickly pale blue, and her eyes and nose were missing. All that remained was this eerie smile. She said nothing, but she lunged at me.

A swirling blue light covered Koromaru, and a dog appeared behind him. A huge Doberman-looking beast with three heads. Fire spouted from the dogs' mouths and coated Jenaya. She fell to the floor and the sickly color faded away. I ran up to her and checked her pulse. She was alive. I looked up and ran upstairs to call the police. I dialed and was about to speak with them when Koromaru barked.

I jumped over the railing, leaving the phone unhooked, and saw someone walking off with Jenaya's unconscious form, “Get off of her!” I leaped at them, but the man kept walking. Behind him, a Persona appeared. A demonic Cupid-like persona lifted his hands enigmatically, and the earth broke up from under me and sent me flying back into the house.

Koromaru leaped forward and summoned his Persona. The beast sent waves of flames at the mysterious attacker's Persona, sending it to the ground in burning wisps.

“Gah, troublesome brat. The information was correct, but no one said anything about an overpowered mutt,” The man turned to me. He had short black hair and catlike yellow eyes, along with typical business clothes, “Ginji. Ginji Sasaki.”

“You.....” His name came up on the records as one of the individuals that worked with both incarnations of Joker, “You're.....Weren't you...?”

“My benefactors recruited amongst the greatest Persona users. Naturally, I was one. Boss wanted one of you Anti-Suppression Weapons. His plan to get that Aigis girl failed. I was sent after Genesis, and that almost got me killed due to an interfering interloper. Seems I'll have the same trouble here. Difference is, I'll have help this time,” Ginji spoke with a demonic anger to his tone, as he grinned. From his pocket, he took a blade, and he rammed it deep into Jenaya's chest.

“No!” I got up and flung myself at the man, but he dodged me, surprising me with his swiftness.

He dropped Jenaya to the ground and laughed as he jumped back, “Consider this your only warning. I will have you, and I will kill anyone who gets in my way.” Ginji fled off into the night at an almost superhuman speed. I ran up to Jenaya and cradled her in my arms, unable to form words.

-Unnamed Kirijo Building, Tokyo, Japan-

Mitsuru's POV

When Aigis proposed to send Koromaru to Serah in case of Shadows, I wasn't so sure of the quality of the plan. Then a police report rang in saying Jenaya was murdered by a serial killer that had traveled across Japan. They could tell by the identification of the knife used to kill her. There were special hooks that left a distinctive mark on the skin next to the wound, with the initials G.S. Ginji Sasaki. Formerly a record producer, he was a minion of Joker. Now he was in Inaba, attacking Serah. 

I contacted Kei with this information, and he seemed frightened by the news. He said that Genesis had also been assaulted by this killer, and now I had his identity. Kei agreed to send Genesis and a detective friend of his to the town to overlook the serial killer case and to track down and apprehend Ginji. No exceptions were being made for this criminal. He helped a psychotic man almost bring about the apocalypse, if Kei's reports were to be true.

I was also shocked to hear that Ginji was looking specifically for an Anti-Shadow Weapon. When I heard that he claimed to have been after Aigis in some form, I consulted her. She said she never met him. So I sent Strega into the town to track him down as well. They were told to work independently of the police force and of Kei's team.

The police force was told this murder had nothing to do with the current serial killings they had faced. The information was suppressed and not released, and the police force has agreed to turn the other cheek. Not like they could catch Ginji themselves. Whatever Ginji was after, this would not become known to anyone but the authorities, the operatives in question, Serah, and myself.

Inaba had recently become a hotbed of activity. Shadow sightings, a serial killer. Ginji tracked Serah there, which meant there may be moles. However, only a select group of people knew. This is why I sent Strega. If there was a traitor, it would be Takaya or Jin. The duo always seemed shifty, even now. Chidori would be able to handle the two of them on her own if they tried anything, and I had Aigis at the ready to interfere. Akihiko was traveling the world at the moment. Yukari had just gotten a new job, and Junpei, well... I trusted Chidori more.

Koromaru was a good choice. Since the incident with Nyx, he hadn't been used for battle. He had become a mascot of the Shadow Operatives, and many questioned why he was so highly ranked and yet “just a dog”.

I sighed to myself. Maybe Kei was right. Force every Persona user in Japan to register so we could monitor them more strictly. Granted, there would be more problems as a result, but in the end it would save time and resources.

Who recruited Ginji? What did they want with Aigis, Genesis, and Serah? If Labrys did indeed exist, would they be after her, too? I had told no one of her existence, and I only had a general idea where she would be located. Should I unearth her, or keep her hidden? Perhaps it would be best to wait and see how this plays out.

Waiting to react. That is usually how I end up doing things, isn't it? I grimaced at the thought. Perhaps if I had acted first, then they would still be.....Now isn't the time to dwell on the past. For now, I'll let Ginji run amok. Once I squeeze the information out of him that I need, I'm going to destroy every last one of them. I no longer had tolerance for this.

-Dojima Residence, Robert's Room-

Robert's POV

I looked out of my window and saw the rain falling against the window. The rain was harder than it was before. I turned to the television as the familiar yellow light came on. What I saw next was.....hard to describe.

Yukiko was clearly on the screen, but she was dressed in some fabulous pink dress, with red roses splattered on the chest and elsewhere. She looked at the camera with a devious smile, one I had never seen on her before. She had a microphone in hand, and she looked as if she was on some low budget movie.

After blowing kisses at the screen, she smiled wide, “I am Princess Yukiko, and today I'm going to hunt me down a stud muffin!” She pretended to shoot at the screen and I stood there, mouth agape, “Come on, are you ready!? Rein in and saddle your stud!”

The mental images that came to my mind were either hot, disturbing, or both at the same time.

“It's Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Her Prince Charming!” She motioned to a title screen that appeared behind her less than a second later, “My lacy unmentionables are ready to go! And so is my heart!” She motioned to her.....uh....and drew a heart into the air, before it exploded into smaller hearts all around her. Scratch what I said earlier. A low budget porno.

Then she gave a determined look, “See, I'm out to tame me a whole harem of the best studs there are!” She winks at the camera,”Well, time to go!”

She ran off into the castle and the show ended with the sound of a television turning off.

I immediately got a call from Yosuke, “Did you see that? That was Yukiko-san for sure! It looked like her... I mean, she even said her name. But didn't the stuff she was saying sound weird?”

“I'm glad I taped it,” I said. Originally I set it up for certain animes that played when I was at school, but now I had....whatever that was on a newly used CD.

“You what!?” Yosuke exclaimed.

“Calm down. Try to contact Chie.” I said, trying to remain rational.

“Y-you're right! Let's get her to contact Yukiko-san. Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet up at Junes first thing in the morning!” I said night to Yosuke and decided to hit to bed early. The last thought in my head was about how damn good Yukiko looked in that dress.


End file.
